The Thames enters London at Hampton Court and passes under the Hampton Court Bridge. Built in 1933 to the develop of Sir Edwin Lutyens, this elegant bridge connects Hampton Court with East Molesley. To the north of the bridge is Hampton Green, where there is a spectacular, group of mainly 18th-century buildings. Surrounded by these is Old Court House, which was the home of Sir Christopher Wren for a while, and the Royal Mews, which include a 16th-century barn and an earlier building. On the other side of the Green is Hampton Court House, an imposing buildings dating from the middle of the 18th century.
The first time visitor to Hampton Court will be amazed at the magnificence and sheer size the Palace. Built of red brick, it is nearly 700 ft long by 400 ft wide and contains over a thousand rooms. Cardinal Wolsey began the palace in 1514 during a spectacular, rise to power which had begun when he was made Chaplain to Henry Vii. After Henry Viii had come to the throne Wolsey's ascent became meteoric and he decided to build for himself a home that was to be the finest inexpressive dwelling in the Kingdom. By this time the Cardinal's vast wealth was attracting suspicion and jealousy, and in 1529 he attempted to secure Henry's favour by presenting the palace and its contents to the King as a gift. Henry, however, had made up his mind, and the following year Wolsey was imprisoned for high treason. Hampton Court became Henry's favourite palace and he spent large sums of money enhancing and enlarging it. For the visitor there are a great many attractions including the world famed maze, a number of dissimilar gardens and the Palace itself which is a must for all visitors to London.
Kingston
From Hampton Court the River flows south and passes a small but pretty settlement called Thames Ditton which has a number of picturesque old houses. The River then does a dog leg turn to the north and then passes a small river island called Ravens Ait, which is a centre for local functions. The River then passes Kingston upon Thames. Kingston has a history that goes back to the 9th century. It had the first ever bridge over the Thames, known as the clattern bridge and the visitor can still see part of the brickwork that was used. Kingston was the coronation place of Anglo Saxon Kings and has the stone on which they were crowned. Kingston is an prominent market town and a considerable shopping centre and along with Croydon are the two largest shopping centres in London exterior of Oxford Street.
Passing under Kingston Bridge, built in the middle of 1825 and 1928 and supplementary widened in the late 1990's, the River then flows northward on its way to Teddington passing straight through the Teddington Weir. This is the point at which the tidal part of the Thames meets the non-tidal part. The weir was built in 1811 and was fully mechanized in 1912. Duing the second world war the weir was bombed and before it could be repaired the tidal waters reached much supplementary up the River. Just past the weir is Teddington Lock which is the largest lock on the Thames. Beyond the lock is Teddington itself which lays to the left of the River. Of note are the television studios which overlook the River and were once a hive of performance production and transmitting television programmes for Thames Television. Now it is used as a film studio. Next to the studios is the Lensbury Club once an exclusive club owned by Shell but is now a inexpressive sports club.
Beyond Teddington the River veers to the right and passes the river island called Eel Pie Island. This is one of the largest islands on the Thames and was famed in 1960's and 70's and a magnet for all lovers of jazz, having a hotel providing favorite modern music. The River then flows onto Richmond, having passed by the English Heritage, Marble Hill House and the National Trust Ham House.
Sitting above Richmond itself is Richmond Hill. This has spectacular, views of the whole of the west of London and for aeroplane spotters an exquisite viewing platform as this sits on a direct flight path into Heathrow airport, where the aeroplanes are very low as they get ready to land. Before arriving at Richmond the River passes under Richmond Bridge which was built in 1777. Richmond is a particularly pretty town, having a large number of spellbinding buildings and charming riverside walks. Around is London's largest Royal Park - Richmond Park with spectacular views of London.
Our journey along the river is contained in the following parts:
Part 1 Introduction
Part 2 Hampton Court Bridge to Richmond Bridge
Part 3 Richmond Bridge to Battersea Bridge
Part 4 Albert Bridge to Lambeth Bridge
Part 5 Westminster Bridge to Hungerford Bridge
Part 6 Waterloo Bridge to London Bridge
Part 7 London Bridge to Queen Elizabeth Ii Bridge
For more details on London's River and all other London attractions go to The Definitive Guide to London
London's River & Bridges Part 2 - Hampton Court Bridge To Richmond Bridge
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