Vol 11.8 STATION ROAD Part 3

Non-Hampton & Richmond Borough related posts.
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Les1949
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Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:59 pm

HAMPTON, AROUND AND ABOUT

Things you may not know, or didn’t know you knew!

No 8 STATION ROAD Part 3
An amble through fields and meadows

Okay, so you came by train to Hampton, what are you likely to see as you come out of the station before walking down Station Road to Beveree.

Until the coming of the railway the area between here and no 113 did not exist, the land was all fields and meadows. Opposite the station exit, is a small parade of shops, where currently a new development is taking place to be called The Milk Yard. Not sure where the name comes from as previously on this site, 139 to 143, was Peco’s (furniture & fireplaces) and Alderson’s Garage. As far as I can tell the whole site was occupied by Hampton Station Garage from the 1930s – so where the Milk Yard comes from, who knows?

137 is newly built and is occupied by a taxi company offering up market chauffeuring, whilst above are apartments (what we used to call ‘flats’). 135 is Plenty an Italian style café, in 1968 it was Retail, Tool and Building Supplies 133 is Grade 1, a hairdressers, but was in the past Miriams, selling furnishings, 131 is a Flower Shop and used to be a tobacconist – from the 1960s to 1995 called The Regent - and 129 is a Chinese take-away, Fatti Mama, which at one time was a Sports Equipment and Toy Shop called Keep.

Next you would have come to a pub, The Railway Hotel at 127. The pub had a ‘chequered’ history, being closed down on several occasions due to it infringements of its licence. Eventually it closed for the final time in 2011 and was converted into apartments and re-named Junction Court. Rushberry Court was formerly a Girl’s & Infants’ School until 1971. The next section used to be a meadow belonging to a Captain Archer, and is now a block of 6 properties. Starting with Impressed, a Dry Cleaners, I believe Alan Simpson used to get his shirts pressed by them!

Next is 121, a Butchers, however, before Shaun’s was John Bewsey & Sons who was advertising his meats in the late 60s. 119 has for a long time been Monaf’s Indian Restaurant whilst next door is Sweeney Tod, my hairdressers. Some time before, Joan Dormor operated Hampton Florists out of 117.

115, prior to Marinis Fish & Chip shop, it was known as Peter Buchan, fishmonger - so it seems to have always been used for that trade. Recently Mr Marini retired, but the name on the front remains the same. 113 is Albion House, which before being converted into apartments was the base for a Soap Company. Across Oldfield Lane is the Village Green with very smart houses around it. Very few recall that this was the site of Filter Beds, part of the Water Company, opened in 1902. In the late 1990s the beds were out of use and were sold off for housing.

The next section is currently filled by private houses until you arrive at no 101, a florist, Asters. 99 is The Cake Box, which at one stage was a shop called Wool etc, owned by a Mrs Ansell – she advertised in the programme -which morphed into The Fabric Wokshop in the early 90s. 97 is Hampton Hounds, for all things ‘doggie’, whilst 95 is a Chartered Accountants but, at one time, was Notley & Collins, selling Fishing Tackle, and finally we reach no 93, Dexters Estate Agents, and unsurprisingly, we find that F J Edwards used to be an Estate Agents in the 1980s on the same site. One thing that you can say about the shops between 93 and 101 is that they all do what it says on the tin.

The stretch onward from 93 was covered in the previous article. Now to cross the road and walk back to the station, which comes next.

The Old Historian
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