Hampton Court: A Station Fit for a King?

A right royal railway.
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[@surreygoldprospector576]

"Welcome to the Henry Line. Mind your head".

[@barvdw]

This should not have made me snort, but it did. Well played, well played.

[@RockTheChef]

Don't get your Hampton Court ;)

[@epicridesandtours]

Beat me to it! lmao

[@dianekivi5349]

Still I suppose it better than calling it the Charlie Line?

[@mittfh]

​@@dianekivi5349Or the Philip Line (in honour of her husband). Or if a future government can find some cash down the back of the proverbial sofa to start subsiding TfL again, maybe the Tudor Line with a few nods to the era in station furniture (obviously, unless a philanthropic billionaire transport nerd sets up home in London, full station redesigns to both combine 21st century practicality and more overt nods to the Tudors would be unlikely).

[@UK.RoadsCyclingandTransport]

'Being high up in government with king Henry the 8th gave you as much job security as a union rep in an amazon warehouse' - the jokes are so on point and you're one of the best at word play and it makes these videos all the more funnier to watch, Good stuff Jago 🤣

[@timothyjohnston4083]

One has to wonder if Jago should make a go at stand-up comedy... His puns, turns-of-phrases, and witty anecdotes are golden !

[@highpath4776]

@@timothyjohnston4083 Scriptwriter

[@UK.RoadsCyclingandTransport]

@@timothyjohnston4083 agreed

[@brianfretwell3886]

Reminds me of the song that was in the stage show "Carry on London" it was called "The Day King Harry got his Hampton Court" (or should that be Caught?)

[@nonsequitor]

Your channel is a great alternative to the news ... it's current affairs, just delayed a bit. Makes much more palatable 👌🙌♥️

[@le1810]

As a Young apprentice joiner in the late 70’s working out of an arch under Waterloo. I remember twice having to go out to Hampton court crossing to repair the wooden crossing gates and for the second time having to almost make a complete new gate.

[@dodgydruid]

I worked in the lamp arch under Waterloo in the mid eighties, next door to the stores there and my guv'nor Catweazle he was nicknamed we swear drank the lamp spirits as he was perpetually nished so apart from doing my duties I would be next door in the stores where we drove the station AM abs bonkers with series of pranks one which saw me for a week sweeping the concourse with a small yard broom as a punishment (we had a couple of YTS trainees to play with and we kept sending them up to the platforms armed with an official notebook think with cleaning receipts and a tape measure and they had to measure the distance between buffer stop and train buffer and if it wasn't some crazy number they had to give the driver a "ticket" which went down well with the drivers... Another wheeze was we were told to dispose of all the old Weskit uniforms which were in good nick just old and smelly so we got onto BR's clothing computer and we ordered the correct sizes for signalmen at Waterloo, Clapham and London Bridge where my father worked and boy did those signalmen go nuts over it, they were on the point of getting the NUR to call out a down tools then someone traced it back to us rascals and another carpeting by the red faced angry Welsh area manager hehehe) I ended my career with BR as a Topsman at Norwood, my oppo in Eastleigh we were always winding each other up so came up with the wheeze to end all wheezes, I looked up and put on the docket all the class 99's for brakes and other safety stuff, well my mate wasn't there that day and someone else picked it up, clearing much of Eastleigh works for urgent certification etc, arrangements for traction to go collect these class 99's and a whole lot of beavering when someone realised the class 99 was in fact the Sealink ferries... First I knew about it was when this man bellowed expletives down the fone at me, demanded my presence with a union rep in his office pdq which I did and this bloke was abs beswick as he said get out you are sacked and the rep said nothing they could do and BR could have in fact landed me with a bill for it all. I was allowed to keep my NSE wide brake pass til it ran out so not all bad...

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Wee Mental Davie?

[@Graham_Langley]

Used to put pennies on the rails at that crossing.

[@le1810]

At the time I believe it was the only wooden gates on the network that we used to look after

[@JohnADoe-pg1qk]

@6:46 Pragmatic use of paint. 🙂

[@caw25sha]

Hmm, I spotted that. I was wondering whether that was standard practice when the SR was formed.

[@davidwong9230]

Wolsey committed a cardinal sin 😆 He had ideas above his station 😂

[@komadii]

There is also a pub in Hampton court dedicated to his namesake, the Cardinal Wolsey!

[@komadii]

Never mind, it's permanently closed :(

[@rogerakhan74]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@roboftherock]

@@komadii Now that's funny!

[@russbetts1467]

Hi Jago. Yes, I would like to hear more about the Trams.

[@delarazonoozi5433]

Honestly, one of the best KZbin videos I have seen. As a Molesey resident, for years I have been saying how Hampton Court Station is not actually in Hampton Court and is a part of East Molesey and everyone thought I was just telling a joke! I feel so heard, no one ever mentions my station. Gonna appreciate my local more know knowing all the history behind it :)

[@Graham_Langley]

I grew up on the near Imber Court back in the 60s and I'm trying to remember the name of the tea garden between the station and the bridge. If you go back that far can you help here? [Edit] The Jolly Boatman.

[@maryapatterson]

I have attended Hampton Court Palace on a number of occasions for classes at the Royal School of Needlework. I always feel like im going on a school trip going to Hampton Court Palace!😂 Just the history and awe of the palace never goes away!😍

[@TRPW]

One of the things I noticed when I first went to this station was the Thames Ditton Miniature Railway which is visible just as the train turns onto the branch line.

[@drt7uk]

wasn't there also one of the back gardens on the approach to Hampton Court? but I could be wrong

[@highpath4776]

@@drt7uk One of my loose friends near Hampton Court, it might have been his, he owned a single deck Hants and Dorset bus too.

[@Graham_Langley]

Used to be taken there as a kid on open days back in the mid-60s.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

Hampton Court was my local station in the early 2000s- my flat was on the housing estate that was built on the site of Hurst Park racecourse. I always liked getting the last down train of the night from Waterloo, as this was almost always a slam-door unit (usually a 4-VEP) rather than the usual 455. Those first class compartments were lovely! 😊

[@tonys1636]

Hope you had a 1st. class ticket if using one. People travelling in 1st. on a standard ticket really wind me up. Just because of no available seats in standard is no excuse.

[@MrJimheeren]

@@tonys1636what a weird response to someone who just told a good story

[@norbitonflyer5625]

@@tonys1636 No first class fares on that line, so you can use the first class compartments with impunity.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

@@tonys1636 the Hampton Court branch is (and was then) advertised as standard class only in the timetable, so no first class fares were available even if I'd wanted to pay one- which naturally I didn't. You can take the man out of Yorkshire... 😉

[@tonys1636]

@@Eric_Hunt194 I remember that branch from the late 1950's, living in Thames Ditton, the Southern Region suburban stock had half a carriage as 1st. and half as a no smoking in each 4 car unit. 1st. was available on all services then.

[@cheesymice]

The only train I’ve ever taken out of Waterloo was to Hampton Court, the last time I was in the UK. That was 10 years ago! I need to get back over there soon.

[@paulhaynes8045]

Talking of Thames Ditton, you could do one of your non-railway videos about the islands in the river around there. There must be quite a history behind them. At least one (two, I think) have houses on them. The one nearest to where I grew up is completely built, but the only access (except by river) is via a pedistrian toll bridge. When I was a kid, it was a penny to get over the bridge, but we used to climb up the bridge supports and round the gate to get onto the island (and rhen get chased off again!). Nearer Kingston there are more islands, one of which is (was?) a Sea Scout base (called, inevitably, HMS something), and the other has a very interesting history, being at one time the home of a rather notorious music club. Some (if not all) of the islands are not true islands, as they were created when the river was widened (I think in Henry VIII's time?). The river in those days, being narrow and winding, was difficult to navigate, and this was a serious problem as most traffic then went via the river. Interestingly, because the original river is now the secondary channel, what are now islands in the Thames Ditton side of the river were once part of the bank on the other side!

[@komadii]

The sea scout base is still there! The island is called Ravens Aite & one of the scout leaders is also a part owner of the island and also uses it to host events, weddings and the such. Source - I was a sea scout for 1st Surbiton sea lions. I'd also love to see some videos on these islands. Seems very much in the style of the channel

[@luxford60]

I think I'm right in saying that the Thames is the only river in the UK with inhabited islands.

[@paulhaynes8045]

@@luxford60 interesting thought. I can't think of any others offhand, but I bet there is at least one that someone will know about!

[@kevinm3586]

​​​​​@@luxford60 The central part of Tonbridge is on an island in the Medway. The buildings are mostly commercial but there are flats on Sovereign Way. Likewise a chunk of Canterbury near Westgate sits on an island in The Great Stour and has quite a few houses on it.

[@highpath4776]

@@luxford60 The house at Morden Hall Park is on an island of the Wandle (its now a hotel)- part man made, it is effectively moated but the river flows both sides, there may be others where the original course and the later mill cuts and so on create an island, indeed the newer flats opposite the Tandem Centre are on a large island created by Bennetts Ditch/ The Pickle and The Wandle

[@n17hero]

The Jago Hazzard approach to the retelling of history "Well, let's see. First the earth cooled. And then the dinosaurs came, but they got too big and fat, so they all died and they turned into oil. And then the Arabs came and they bought Mercedes Benzes..."

[@JohnyG29]

Na, dinosaurs never died out. Birds are all theropod dinosaurs, and there are billions of birds.

[@RadioJonophone]

@@JohnyG29 And dinosaurs didn't turn into oil.

[@creamwobbly]

That joke landed about as well as the Iranian President

[@highpath4776]

@@creamwobblyouch

[@mirzaahmed6589]

You're thinking about Bill Wurtz.

[@Thats_Mr_Random_Person_to_you]

That Amazon jibe though!!! Had to stop playback just so I could laugh and not miss the content!!!!

[@Alex-cw3rz]

The Henry Line sounds so goofy I love it. Sounds like something out of Thomas The Tabk Engine

[@theimperialist2686]

Remember going to Hampton Court Palace for my history module, it was definitely an insightful visit.

[@meijiturtle3814]

Once again, a professional historical and social survey of part of London's rail heritage.

[@neilbain8736]

3:45 Nice cameo of the Waverley. She's been awarded National Flagship of the Year 2024 and has just started her 2024 season this weekend sailing around the lochs and islands of the Clyde. She works out of many places from Oban round to the Thames.

[@studio6584]

Oh gosh, I'd forgotten about this line. I used to travel along it once a week to Thames Ditton for a music lesson when I was a spotty-faced 16-year old. Bearing in mind I lived in the country 2 1/2 miles from Uxbridge this meant a bit of a journey into London and then back out, but as a train nerd I loved it. I recall the trains being very old, slow but comfortable, and the station being unmanned.

[@StanleyV64]

A very informative video as per usual. What a lovely charming station Hampton Court is (or at least the exterior building).

[@llux]

yay. love it there, me and my dad being the lower class people that enjoy the boat ride out there from westminster

[@samanthajanesmith9591]

I used to use this line to go to our school playing fields just down the road. The highlight was passing a large garden railway on the way to Surbiton. It was a long way home but the chance to take a train and see the model railway was too great to resist.

[@drt7uk]

I remember this but I thought it was in one of the gardens on the approach to Hampton Court? but I could be wrong

[@samanthajanesmith9591]

@@drt7uk it was, I was going from HC to Surbiton and passed it on the journey.

[@grahampaulkendrick7845]

Geeat video. Trolleybuses ran to Hampton Court from 1931 as well.

[@donbergquist7879]

Thanks for this! Really makes me miss my time in Thames Ditton! I was showing this to my partner and had to keep stopping the video to point out the places that I used to ride my bike and the places I would visit. The one row of shops you showed across the road from the station had the best Curry take-away within a comfortable bike-ride from my house. I had almost forgotten the Hampton Court Flower Show! Thanks for the memories.

[@highpath4776]

werent AC Cars built in Thames Ditton ?

[@Graham_Langley]

@@highpath4776 Yes - the works was right in the middle. Celestion speakers were also made in the village, nearer the river.

[@jtlondon]

in the early 90s I lived in nearby Thames Ditton and commuted every day into London. It was a long, slow journey and, being near the end of the line, I'd often fall asleep. On one occasion, I woke up just in time for my stop but, as the train pulled away to Hampton Court, I realised I'd left my bag on the train. I ran back home to borrow my mate's car and drove quickly to Hampton Court but found the police had closed the station 'due to suspicious device on train' (it was the early 90s when we still had IRA issues). I explained to the police that it was my bag and they let me go collect it from the train. Having got my bag and been reminded to be more diligent, I walked back along the empty platform thankful that I'd recovered it before the bomb squad had arrived. As I was walking along the empty platform, there was a tannoy announcement, 'Network South East apologise for the cancellation of the train to London Waterloo due to discovery of a suspicious device'. Cue the walk of shame past a crowd of disappointed passengers...

[@geoffreypiltz271]

Cardinal Sin was the Archbishop of Manilla from 1974 to 2003.

[@Byzmax]

I think they should call the crossrail 2 route the Cardinal Line and then once it's been built and run for a few years change it to the Henry line.

[@chrisamies2141]

Cardinal Line is a good name. Cue obscure jokes about an Ordinal Line as well.

[@PMA65537]

@@chrisamies2141 How many points would be on the Cardinal Line?

[@julianellis8200]

Travelling to Hampton Court by boat was a great idea from my parents over 60 years ago, but the boat ran aground and we were stuck for almost 4hours until the tide came up again🙁

[@PMA65537]

Maybe the took the boat because the hovercraft was full of eels..

[@momerathe]

If they called it the Henry line I would assume it was about the vacuum cleaner

[@highpath4776]

Which is strange as it was Wolsely doing the sucking up to Henry

[@vinceturner3863]

Great video as usual, thanks for posting. I went to school in Thames Ditton in the '60s and '70s. The used to keep a 'school special' train at Hampton Court in the afternoon. It only stopped at Thames Ditton and Surbiton.

[@ornleifs]

You mention that folks perhaps took a steamer instead of the train to the Palace and I found that interesting cause when I went to visit Hampton Palace I took a boat.

[@mattjennings4750]

Platform 2 is only ever used on a Sunday or during the flower show when it's literally one train in and one out alternate between the platforms

[@batman51]

For the first Hampton Court Flower Show, Network South East offered combined travel and entry tickets, at a discount, which I remember we used. And the queues at Waterloo to get there!

[@Jimyjames73]

Hiya Jago - @ 6:49 - A sneaky way of doing a sign - just paint out the letters that you don't want & hope that other don't see the painted out letters!!! 😄🚂🚂🚂

[@medicj8481]

“Widespread local opposition” is a given in Elmbridge. The biggest group of NIMBYs in the world. The day they say yes to anything is the day dogs learn to fly.

[@barvdw]

Yeah, I'd guess as much. Probably oppose planting flowers in a different colour on the roundabout as well.

[@Desmaad]

I think they'd complain about that, too.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

NIMBYs they may be, but you've got to admire their gumption. Not many councils are controlled by a Resident's Association rather than one of the mainstream political parties.

[@JT29501]

Yeah, the new development looks nice, would be an improvement to the current malaise around the station.

[@pauljmccluskey5532]

12:07 He probably got in trouble by getting his “hampton” caught lol 😜

[@ianthomson9363]

🤣

[@johnhehir508]

I once flagged down a cab and said Hampton wick, driver told me not to be so insulting and drove off 🤔🙉🙊🙈😁😁

[@TheRedPolyhedral]

The Carry On team beat you to that one long ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/emHdknePisl1ars

[@gdclemo]

​@@johnhehir508you should have heard the response when I asked for a ticket for Kew.

[@MrDavil43]

You may already be familiar with this version of The Lord's Prayer which, I'm told, was popular during WW2 after the locations of downed" enemy aircraft were announced on the wireless. Mention of Thames Dutton reminded me of it. Our Farnham, which art in Hendon, Harrow be Rye Lane. Thy Kingston come, thy Wimbledon in Erith as it is in Hendon. Give us this day our daily Brent and forgive us our overpasses as we forgive those who overpass us. And lead us not into Thames Ditton, but deliver us from Ewell. For thine is the Kingston, the Purley, the Crawley for Esher and Esher, Crouch End.

[@katrinabryce]

I think CrossRail 2 will be called the Charles Line, or the William Line, depending on how long it takes. Maybe even the George Line. I suppose if George's eldest child gets called Henry, then, well, I am very unlikely to live to see them become King/Queen.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

The Elizabeth line name should have been given to the Jubilee line. It's daft having a line named after an anniversary that long since paled into insignificance.

[@apolloc.vermouth5672]

If it must have a royal-related name, I'd suggest the Pay Your Bloody Taxes line

[@telhudson863]

@@Eric_Hunt194 Of course when the Jubilee line was first opened ... Well the Jubilee was already a memory.

[@ianmcclavin]

Initially, Thames Ditton and Hampton Court stations were outside of London Fare Zone 6 . I was traveling on an All Line Rover for a fortnight in 1988, but the chap on the barrier at Hampton Court tried to tell me I had an excess fare to pay!!

[@geirmyrvagnes8718]

@@Eric_Hunt194 I disagree. It makes that line sound fun and festive. And anachronistic strangeness is the most charming part of Britain, anyway.

[@paulblake1164]

A dear friend of mine's mother was alive when they rebuilt the bridge in the 1930s. Pictures of the local area are in the dining rooms of the Mute Swan Pub.

[@Wolsey58]

It's the Mute Swan. Palace worker here, and I was in the pub just a few hours ago.

[@richardlewis2808]

0:31 I live in the palace, in the long building on the left hand side of the shot! I think one of my windows is open!

[@PMA65537]

I knew a Richard Lewis at work a decade ago. Andy J used the term Lewised for things he'd broken.

[@GothicSteamEngine96]

Henry the Green Engine: What? The Henry line? A line just for me? TFL: *Explains who Henry VIII was* Henry the Green Engine: *insert typical big engine displeasures here*

[@jetblackjoy]

The Tank Engines: *you're so cute when angry, as an engine*

[@highpath4776]

The Hampton Court line was most useful for getting to Thames Ditton ( inc model railway near it ), for Milk Marketing Board, until that was privatised away and , guess what, new flats / houses built on the site.

[@philanderson5138]

As an annual visitor to London we are always looking for places to see, and we had a great day out there from waterloo a few years ago - it felt like a trip out from the city. really easy and not expensive - and we got to see the southern suburbs. A proper grand day out. great video Jago.

[@edhaworth8151]

Jago the irony that this started with an advert for Amazon ‘fulfillment centres’ is burning

[@JagoHazzard]

Ha ha, amazing.

[@TheBaldr]

Been to that station! As a tourist going to Hampton Court palace. That was a year and half ago, looks like construction has moved from the backside of the station to the front now.

[@grahamrowntree5573]

You mentioned Sir William Tite as the architect of the original station buildings at Hampton Court. He also designed many of the original stations around Gosport and Fareham, the line that Victoria used to get to Osborne House on the IoW. Yet another royal connection! Maybe more vlogs on railway architects and their styles, Jago.

[@robertward7449]

Video on trams? Yes please!

[@johnmarkbrailsford24]

The National Tramway Museum at Crich in Derbyshire has a splendidly-restored example of an Edwardian open-top London United Tramways car, number 159.

[@General_Confusion]

That old Henry VIII, he was a bit of a lad.

[@robinjones6999]

Just up the road is Hampton Court Hse, where my son got married last year. Very old and fancy inside and used as a private school

[@xqqqme]

Quite a pleasant surprise to hear you say "quote marks" instead of "inverted commas".

[@creamwobbly]

_Sixty-sixes and ninety-nines_ would probably warrant an ice cream joke

[@timw.8452]

"Quotation marks" would have been better still.

[@xqqqme]

@@timw.8452 Yeah....but I wasn't going to be that picky.

[@PaddyWV]

My favourite bit heading to Hampton Court is the up and over from the main line. Anyone else? Just me then. 😶

[@eattherich9215]

I always enjoy these excursions along the branch lines.

[@isashax]

I used that station for the Palace. Good memories. Thanks for bringing them back!

[@TheEarlofK]

I make an annual visit to Hampton Court for a car show in September, for which Hampton Court Station is convenient, but more often than not it is not possible because of a train strike, meaning a long bus journey from Kingston.

[@michaelcolllett9082]

Many years ago, i had chance visited Hampton Court Palace and maze,enjoy my visit, again thank you for history lesson

[@makkari1]

"You are the Rose to my Tudors." Never getting that one, Jago! 😀

[@SuperOllywood]

I take the train to this station for work fairly regularly. I still enjoy the absurdly elaborate flyover they built just to serve two stations.

[@lassepeterson2740]

I remember that branch and Thames Ditton quite well . There was also a traction depot at Hampton Court.

[@MrGreatplum]

Living as I do south of the m25, a visit to Hampton court by train would be tiresome due to the connections - it’s therefore lovely to see the station that I’ve often driven past in more detail!

[@nickyruso2786]

Really nice to see my working area on KZbin.

[@paulqueripel3493]

The Royal Star and Garter nearly opened a home next to the station when they closed the big home in Richmond. On the site of an old pub.

[@Graham_Langley]

Not a pub but the derelict site of the Jolly Boatman tea-garden/cafe between station and the river. Redevelopment plans for it and the area behind the station have been proposed since at least 2006. S&G pulled out around 2010 due to the continuing uncertainly about the plans then seems to have had second thoughts a couple of years later. It's still not been developed. [Reposted without offending link to article about latest news on site]

[@PtolemyJones]

I feel like it would be fun to have a rail line named after Henry VIII, with each of six subsection named after one of his wives.

[@myonlydemandisbacktowork8759]

If science knowledge was up to today standard now, all he could do was to blame himself for the "fault" 😂😂😂😂

[@TheRedPolyhedral]

Name a railway line after the man voted as England's worst-ever king? That's quite a contested field, by the way. He was also misogynistic even by the standards of his time, so maybe it wouldn't be as much fun as you think.

[@PtolemyJones]

@@TheRedPolyhedral meh, it would still be fun.

[@heptanesykes]

It would probably be at risk of suffering headcount reductions.

[@lassepeterson2740]

That is what N gauge is for .

[@DanBen07]

I like the maps you showed in this video.

[@highpath4776]

Extending the line south of the river to Mosley and Walton/Hersham might have been interesting for the development of the area , as it is it suffers (or is worth a lot of money) NOT being in Greater London

[@seanbonella]

Sunday Storyteller JAGO

[@simonfwhawthorn]

As a tram nerd who lived in the village and used Hampton Court for almost a decade, yes please!

[@user-xk5fq1mi8j]

Cant call it the Henry line because you would have to invite Thomas , Edward, Gordon, James , Percy , Donald, Douglas, Duck, Toby and all the other engines to the party as well.

[@OlafProt]

Train or nothing to Hampton Court for me! Traffic around there is permanently horrendous I hear. (good excuse to go to Surbiton Station too). I grew up in Dorking with close family in Surbiton (still have family in Thames Ditton) so we would have got the 'Ravens Ait' foot ferry across the Thames at Surbiton then walked to Hampton Court regularly. Its only now, aged 51 and living in Belfast for 22+ years, that i realise how lucky i was to grow up where I did. For most people the palace, and that whole area, is a once in a lifetime visit. For us, it was a Sunday stroll. Hot and sunny like your video, is how i remember it!

[@pulaski1]

I like the idea of the "Henry Line". 🙂

[@SlopeSlide]

The way my brain works is that if the Southwestern Railway station is accessible from Wimbledon Station it's the best, if it has an interchange with the Southern Railway it's good, and if it's not in London Fare Zones I'll probably never use it

[@nettieb7604]

Thank you for pronouncing Molesey correctly - as a local, you’d be amazed how many people get it wrong!

[@elainemulberryrat5300]

Very interesting video. Thanks.

[@eddolman3565]

This branch line is actually weirdly quite busy. Esher college is a 2 minute walk from Thames Ditton and so trains throughout the day are normally extremely busy because of it.

[@LesD9]

Thanks for that nugget of info My early life was many years in Twickenham, Teddington and Hampton and regular trollybus trips to the Bank Holiday funfairs on The Green or a cycle ride through Bushy Park. Often thought I'd need a passport to traverse the bridge and never did. Did hear there was a station over there but thought it was a long way from anywhere sensible!

[@Graham_Langley]

I went there back just after it was built as Surbiton County Grammar. The older pupils commuted down from Surbition after the move.

[@DavidShepheard]

Ironically, you can take a boat from Westminster to Hampton Court today and it is far more expensive than taking the train.

[@Roostarful]

I grew up in Molesey and Hampton Court train station provided my way into the London gay scene. As far back as I can remember there have been various plans for remodelling the station and the site of the Jolly Boatman next to it and nothing has ever come to fruition. Great video. X

[@kcu189]

The Henry Line sounds like something that ought to be in Thomas the Tank Engine.

[@michaelcallummayaka]

The Henry Line sounds interesting. My friend named Henry would probably like that. I would just like Southeastern and it's drab liveries to rebrand as Network SouthEast with the old logos, fleet names and liveries. Bring some bright colours back to the railways.

[@marionbloom1218]

Jago, I have a suggestion for you. How about a video about Colonel Stephens and his light railways? You've talked a lot about other railway pioneers and moguls, and Stephens was involved with a very large number of light railways in the early years of the 20th century. You might go so far as to call him "the last railway king". Whilst never as famous as Yerkes or Hudson, Watkin etc, Stephens was quite ground breaking in novel ways of reducing operating costs (his pioneering internal combustion railcars for example) and a number of these ideas spread and were widely adopted. Also, no less than 4 of the many railways he developed himself or advised, have survived as heritage lines. He deserves your attention! There's lots of good material on the web site of the Colonel Stephens Society.

[@barvdw]

I was there last January, and they were still doing repair work in the station from some previous storm, the entire ceiling was covered in safety nets. It's still not fully repaired, I see.

[@BulletNoseBetty]

I visited Hampton Court many years ago and found it quite a-MAZE-ing. (See what I did there? Never mind--I'll see myself out.)

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

first! looking forward to return to London this Dec. Such a cool city.

[@smcdonald9991]

I have never been to the UK and I'm not particularly interested in trains. Yet I never miss Jago's excellent videos!

[@highpath4776]

Hampton Court might have had a lot to do with Tudors, inc Wolsey (though the first brickwork entrance gate like that we think is at nearby Esher Court one of the then Bishop of Winchester's developments. But Hampton Court I think was a favourite of William III and Mary II with the extention to the building (why are Surrey mansions called Courts?) in the new style of the age, which the station building captures the spirit of both buildings.

[@ZGryphon]

I had heard of Surbiton before (for some reason), but I only just now learned that there is also a Norbiton, and suddenly it all makes sense. Also, the Southern just casually redacting the "L.&" and "W." from the sign at 6:48 rather than replacing it is an absolute mood, as I believe the young people say.

[@kiwitrainguy]

Both Norbiton and Surbiton I had learned through BBC comedy series but only with this video did I connect the two.

[@luxford60]

The River Ember is actually a channel of the River Mole.

[@john07973]

Good stuff 👍

[@iandraper8554]

When the 267 Bus terminated at the station because it was outside London it was more expensive to board it there than outside the Castle Gates

[@dodgydruid]

In the eighties I went to a gig in Hampton Court, was listed as a one evening event full of punk sort of bands and well somehow it just carried on until the sunday when the police finally closed it down, what a weekend that was getting very drunk, even more drunk and could hardly walk by time old bill had thrown us out but happy days :D

[@officialmcdeath]

You alluded to it indirectly but it should be noted that this branch was only relatively recently brought into Zone 6 - prior to that, the usual 'cheap' route to Hampton Court was a bus from Kingston \m/

[@jlr108]

Teenaged me always went by bus back in the 70s when hanging out in the palace grounds during school summer holidays was one of my favourite ways to spend an afternoon. Apart from the one time I walked along the river from my Twickenham home, that is. Couldn't beat the 10p bus fare for under-16s. I wasn't even conscious of there being a train station back then.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

Only cheaper if you used the TfL/London Transport 411 service. The Surrey County Council routes (451 and 461) cost approximately one arm and half a leg, and only ran a combined hourly service as far as Walton-on-Thames (where the routes split and went to either Woking or Staines). They also used the A3050 through Hurst Park rather than the more populated route through the centre of East Molesey which the 411 used. The 411 also used double deckers, often a rare example of a single door decker on a TfL service.

[@andrewhotston983]

Can't wait for the Jago Hazzard video about the interesting trams. But perhaps I shouldn't admit that.

[@user-gc2er5hj8c]

it's a weird anomaly that, while Hampton Court station is outside Greater London, it's still in the Oyster & Freedom Pass zone. was very welcome on our visit to the Flower Show which we did by train

[@norbitonflyer5625]

Thyere are a few like that (Stoneleigh is another) where the station is outside Greater London but much of its catchment is within.

[@karlosh9286]

Surely a new crossrail 2 line would be the Charlie line ? But by the time it gets built and finished, probably the William Line !

[@highpath4776]

The Hampton Court Flower Show was rather good for London General special bus services (from Victoria) too

[@captainjoshuagleiberman2778]

Knowing how they named the Overground Lines it is more likely to be called The Anne Bolyn line.

[@themerkin1953]

I can see where you be headed with that one...

[@captainjoshuagleiberman2778]

@@themerkin1953 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@glenaetitmus2106]

Baring in mind the heavily pruned HS2 project, such an undertaking as crossrail 2 will almost inevitabely get the 'chop'. History repeating itself in an unusual way...!

[@captainjoshuagleiberman2778]

@@glenaetitmus2106 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mrogface]

I was hoping you'd include more about Molesey. Great to see bits of it in the video though. I always thought Molesey was an almost famous kind of place, with the Hurst Park race course and the nearby Carsino. I lived there for more than 20 years and I have never seen a train on that second line, so it may technically be available but never actually used as far as I know.

[@Graham_Langley]

And full marks for saying it properly instead of 'Moseley' that you so often hear.

[@mrogface]

@@Graham_Langley I worked at the big Tesco and many times people asked for directions to Moseley, after hearing customers argue with other staff about how to say it I decided playing dumb was best and would just say I had never heard of a place called Moseley nearby.

[@Graham_Langley]

@@mrogface Good ploy and true of course. You probably got asked about Eh-shur and Ee-well too.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Before WW2 trains from Waterloo to Hampton Court ran every 20 mins. The present 30-min headway (no extras in peaks) does not require both platforms, but the branch is often used to siphon off services from other lines diverted during weekend engineering works. These run fast through Thames Ditton and often make for a more frequent service on Sundays than on weekdays. The shuttle from Surbiton during the flower show also requires two platforms. Bizarrely, the Palace is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

[@proanimali]

Oh, thank you, Jago. The first minutes had me laughing so much, I nearly choked on my ale.

[@huwshepheard3075]

No sign of Sir Edward Watkin Bt MP. How unusual for a Victorian railway!

[@fussyboy2000]

You could take the Tudor line from Hampton Court, and then change to the Elizabethan Line!