Hampton Wick Hamlet: A Guide to the Town's Historical Highlights

Located just across the river from Kingston upon Thames, where seven Saxon Kings were crowned, lies the little hamlet of Hampton Wick. On this 45 minute-walking tour, we’ll trace the town’s history, find out how it avoided being dominated by its larger neighbour, and take in some of its modern-day highlights.

Starting outside the Hampton Wick station, I’ll point out the sites of former historical structures like the old Kingston Bridge, and show you a few relics that are still standing, like St John’s Hampton Wick church. Along the way, you’ll hear about some of the famous people connected with this small town, including King George V, who donated the land that formed the first ever King’s Field. Another is Richard Fortnum, related to the founder of the famous Fortnum and Mason department store, who once lived here in a beautiful 1728 Queen Anne-style house.

On this tour, you’ll have the opportunity to:

• See Queen Victoria’s (and Queen Elizabeth II’s) diamond jubilee fountain
• Learn about a still-operational two-foot diameter pipe, the only remaining evidence of the 1870s infrastructure project that rescued central London from the grip of cholera
• Find out about three of the four bridges built over the River Thames between 1195 and 2001
• Hear about the “Poo-Pipe,” which has transported its cargo of human waste since it was originally installed in 1891
• Pass by two of the original malthouses that supplied the breweries in Kingston
• Take in the site of the Great Train Disaster of the August Bank Holiday of 1888

Join me on this scenic circular walk, and find out that there’s more than meets the eye in Hampton Wick.