By Nick Pollard
Creek House is situated in the Chertsey Road, Shepperton, just to the west of Church Square and on the north bank of the creek which feeds into the Thames at Ferry Square, and gives the house its name. It’s an attractive Arts and Crafts style house, dating in its present form to the late 19th century, but perhaps its main interest is in the well-known people who have lived there over the years.
The first, and least known to a modern audience, was Thomas Mullett Ellis. Seemingly a man of many talents, he was variously an architect, writer, and even an aspiring politician. He was the architect of the Wesleyan garrison church in Malta built in 1883. As a writer, he wrote several science fiction stories including Zelma (1895) which was notable as introducing the concept of biological warfare in the form of anthrax-filled balloons. In 1900 he stood as an MP for the Strand division in London against W.F.D.Smith, a partner in the booksellers W.H.Smith & Sons, who had refused to stock his books. He was also the publisher of a short-lived poetry magazine, The Thrush.
In the 1950s, the house became the home of Bernard Braden and Barbara Kelly. This Canadian couple were both famous for their television appearances, Barbara Kelly for What’s My Line?, an entertainment show where a panel had to decide what people’s unusual jobs were by asking a series of questions, and Bernard Braden on various magazine programmes including Braden’s Week, an early consumer affairs programme which eventually led to That’s Life (Esther Rantzen had been a researcher on the show).
In 1959, the Bradens sold Creek House to actor John Gregson, who was famous for his parts in numerous classic British films of the era such as Genevieve, Battle of the River Plate, Whisky Galore! and many others. He was also well known on TV for the detective series Gideon’s Way. Famous personalities of the time such as Sean Connery, Tom Jones and Adam Faith were visitors. He and his wife were Roman Catholics, and his wife Thea built a chapel on the other side