Shepperton
Encyclopedia
Shepperton is a town
in the borough of Spelthorne
, Surrey
, England
. To the south it is bounded by the river Thames
at Desborough Island
and is bisected by the M3 motorway. It is equidistant between the north Surrey towns of Chertsey
to the west and Sunbury-on-Thames
to the east.
Shepperton in the Domesday Book
of 1086 was called Scepertone. It was held by Westminster Abbey
. Its domesday assets were: 8 hide
s. It had 7 plough
s, pasture
for 7 plough
s, 1 weir
worth 6s 8d. It rendered £6.
The Church Square area, next to the river is the original village. When a railway station
was constructed a mile to the North, linking Shepperton to London's Waterloo station, the village expanded in that direction.
Shepperton was a parish in the Staines Rural District
in Middlesex
from 1894 to 1930, when it became part of the Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District
. It was transferred to Surrey in 1965 rather than becoming part of Greater London
, though the town is still designated under Middlesex within the Royal Mail
's postal system. The town includes the hamlet of Lower Halliford
.
are located here. Many films were made here such as Carol Reed
's The Third Man
, Harry Enfield
's Kevin and Perry Go Large, Kenneth Branagh
's Frankenstein
and John Huston
's The African Queen . Shepperton was also the home of author J. G. Ballard
and provides the setting for his novel The Unlimited Dream Company
. It is also mentioned in the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
, in which its destruction is described.
Shepperton has a thriving cricket club, which has teams in the Fullers Surrey County League
Shepperton is home to Thamesmead School
, which was until recently famous for its pop and rock music, under the leadership of Dennis Elvie. Former pop/rock music students include Ben Smyth - bassist for the band Rooster
, Steven Ruston - bassist for the band Son Of Dork and Richard Archer
- lead singer for the chart topping band HARD-Fi
. Another ex-pupil of Thamesmead school is Dan Melchior
a singer/songwriter/guitarist now living in the USA.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the borough of Spelthorne
Spelthorne
Spelthorne is a local government district and borough in Surrey, England. It includes the towns of Ashford, Laleham, Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell and Sunbury...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. To the south it is bounded by the river Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Desborough Island
Desborough Island
Desborough Island is a large artificially-created island in the River Thames on the reach above Sunbury Lock in Surrey, England. The island was formed in 1930s by the digging of a channel - the Desborough Cut - by the Thames Conservancy...
and is bisected by the M3 motorway. It is equidistant between the north Surrey towns of Chertsey
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
to the west and Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames, also known as Sunbury, is a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, and part of the London commuter belt. It is located 16 miles southwest of central London and bordered by Feltham and Hampton, flanked on the south by the River Thames.-History:The earliest evidence of...
to the east.
History
The name is derived from 'Shepherd's Town' and the name of one of the older streets, Sheep Walk, still reflects that origin.Shepperton in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 was called Scepertone. It was held by Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. Its domesday assets were: 8 hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
s. It had 7 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
for 7 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, 1 weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
worth 6s 8d. It rendered £6.
The Church Square area, next to the river is the original village. When a railway station
Shepperton railway station
Shepperton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Shepperton in the Spelthorne district of Surrey, England. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South West Trains. The station itself now has one platform , and a large station and office building...
was constructed a mile to the North, linking Shepperton to London's Waterloo station, the village expanded in that direction.
Shepperton was a parish in the Staines Rural District
Staines Rural District
Staines was a rural district of Middlesex in England from 1894 to 1930.It was created in 1894 based on the former Staines rural sanitary district...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
from 1894 to 1930, when it became part of the Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District
Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District
Sunbury on Thames - also known as Sunbury - was a local government district from 1894 to 1974 around the town of Sunbury-on-Thames, also covering Littleton and Shepperton....
. It was transferred to Surrey in 1965 rather than becoming part of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, though the town is still designated under Middlesex within the Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
's postal system. The town includes the hamlet of Lower Halliford
Lower Halliford
Lower Halliford is a hamlet in the parish of Shepperton in Surrey, formerly Middlesex on the banks of the River Thames. It lies on the road from Kingston upon Thames to Chertsey on a loop of the Thames across the river from Walton on Thames....
.
Amenities
Shepperton StudiosShepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
are located here. Many films were made here such as Carol Reed
Carol Reed
Sir Carol Reed was an English film director best known for Odd Man Out , The Fallen Idol , The Third Man and Oliver!...
's The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score...
, Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
's Kevin and Perry Go Large, Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
's Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
and John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
's The African Queen . Shepperton was also the home of author J. G. Ballard
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
and provides the setting for his novel The Unlimited Dream Company
The Unlimited Dream Company
The Unlimited Dream Company is a novel by J. G. Ballard, first published in 1979. It was nominated for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1980.- Plot :...
. It is also mentioned in the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
, in which its destruction is described.
Shepperton has a thriving cricket club, which has teams in the Fullers Surrey County League
Shepperton is home to Thamesmead School
Thamesmead School
Thamesmead School is a foundation secondary school located in Shepperton. It is co-educational and caters for students in the 11-16 age range in that it doesn't have a sixth form.-External links:*...
, which was until recently famous for its pop and rock music, under the leadership of Dennis Elvie. Former pop/rock music students include Ben Smyth - bassist for the band Rooster
Rooster (band)
Rooster were an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2002. Comprising singer-songwriter Nick Atkinson, guitarist and songwriter Luke Potashnick, backing guitarist and vocalist Ben Smyth, bassist Nick Howell and drummer Dave Neale, the band released two studio albums and five UK top-40...
, Steven Ruston - bassist for the band Son Of Dork and Richard Archer
Richard Archer
Richard John "Rich" Archer is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter and main composer of indie rock band Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi have produced several top 10 hits and two #1 albums. The influence of Archer's hometown of Staines is often...
- lead singer for the chart topping band HARD-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
. Another ex-pupil of Thamesmead school is Dan Melchior
Dan Melchior
Dan Melchior is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who grew up in Shepperton, Surrey, , England and is often labeled a 'garage rock' musician....
a singer/songwriter/guitarist now living in the USA.
Places of worship
- Jubilee Church Shepperton
- Shepperton Baptist Church
- St John Fisher (Roman Catholic)
- Richmond Drive (Reynolds)
- St Nicholas (Church of England)
- St Mary Magdalene, Littleton (Church of England)
Notable people
Notable residents, past and present, include:- Olivia AndersonOlivia AndersonOliver Victoria Anderson is a cricketer who has made 5 One Day International and 2 Twenty20 International appearances for South Africa national women's cricket team in 2008....
, South African international cricketer - Celestine BabayaroCelestine BabayaroCelestine Hycieth Babayaro is a former Nigerian footballer.-Club career:Babayaro began his playing career at Nigerian side Plateau United, before moving to Belgium club Anderlecht in 1994, and eventually would make a name for himself, quickly gaining first-choice status although still a...
, Nigerian footballer - J. G. BallardJ. G. BallardJames Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
, author, lived in the same semi-detached house in Shepperton for over fifty years until his death in 2009 - John BoormanJohn BoormanJohn Boorman is a British filmmaker who is a long time resident of Ireland and is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General and The Tailor of Panama.-Early life:Boorman was born in Shepperton, Surrey,...
, film director - Ben Kemp, legend
- Ray DorsetRay DorsetRay Dorset is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and founder of Mungo Jerry...
, lead singer of Mungo JerryMungo JerryMungo Jerry is an English rock group whose greatest success was in the early 1970s, though they have continued throughout the years with an ever-changing line-up, always fronted by Ray Dorset. They are remembered above all for their hit "In the Summertime". It remains their most successful and most... - Frank FinlayFrank FinlayFrancis Finlay, CBE is an English stage, film and television actor.-Personal life:Finlay was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, the son of Margaret and Josiah Finlay, a butcher. A devout Catholic, he belongs to the British Catholic Stage Guild. He was educated at St...
, actor - Thomas Love PeacockThomas Love PeacockThomas Love Peacock was an English satirist and author.Peacock was a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley and they influenced each other's work...
, poet and novelist, at Halliford Green - Tom RushTom RushTom Rush is an American folk and blues singer, songwriter, musician and recording artist.- Life and career :Rush was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a teacher at St. Paul's School, in Concord, New Hampshire. Tom began performing in 1961 while studying at Harvard University after...
, blues/folk singer - Ruth WilsonRuth Wilson (actress)Ruth Wilson is an English actress, perhaps best known for her performance in the title role of Jane Eyre.-Early life and education:...
, actor - John GregsonJohn GregsonJohn Gregson was an English actor.He was born Harold Thomas Gregson, of Irish descent, and grew up in Wavertree, Liverpool, where he was educated at Greenbank Road primary school, later St Francis Xavier School...
, actor