Why Does Hampton Wick Station Exist?

[@pacificostudios]

That last shot of the two SWT trains passing each other over the Thames is a triumph for you. I dare-say you could use it to replace your traditional footage of the North Sea from the ECML.

[@ianthomson9363]

I agree- a great shot!

[@clickrick]

I do like that closing night-time shot of the trains crossing the river - very classy, sir, very classy!

[@mikehebdentrains]

You forgot to mention that within Hampton Court is the Astronomical Clock - which is used to calculate rail ticket increases :)

[@johannayaffe2647]

😂

[@kanedaku]

You wait until you see Hampton Candle...

[@bazza945]

Good one.

[@itskdog]

Hamton Wick is a ways away from Hampton, Hampton Hill, and Hampton Court (yes, there are 4 towns near each other all called Hampton - very confusing, even for some locals!)

[@Leicestercityrules24]

"Hope I haven't missed the last train, can't be stuck in Hampton Wick" - Sticks and Stones by Jamie T, must be the only musical reference to the station

[@mikimooooooo]

The only reason I know this station exists!

[@ocelotsly5521]

That night shot at 5:28 is fornicating gorgeous, Jago. Great work. I visited that station from the other side of the world in 1997, on my way to Hampton Court Palace and a quaint, low-roofed house that had purportedly been occupied by Crromwell's mistress (one of, I gather).

[@DavidShepheard]

That night shot at the end, with the carriage lights reflected in the Thames, is fantastic.

[@PlanetoftheDeaf]

Lovely night shot. I had no idea that Hampton Wick station was a bit of an accident. It's very handy if you want to walk in Hampton Court Park and Bushy Park, so not a complete waste

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

Julian & Sandy knew a gentleman called Hugh from this area.

[@julianpenfold1638]

Happy memories of crossing the bridge on the train and the Gridley Miskin timber warehouse. There are three stations with Hampton in the name; probably confuses non-locals.

[@thatcommentaccount69]

Hi there, I'm a former resident of Teddington and HW was my closest station. The whole area around the HW station is Teddington, and no postal addresses include "Hampton Wick" on them (though a few shops on the "high street" are named with this locale). It was a very convenient station as it was closer than the main Teddington station, which was a good 20 minute walk away compared to Hampton Wick's mere 10. The way I see it, Hampton Wick is a station for the residents of Teddington who don't live in actual, real Teddington (around the lock and high street) and also for those wishing to go to the close side of Hampton and Hampton Court. Thanks for coming here and giving attention to the lesser known part of Teddington!

[@kouroshgray6436]

idk how long ago you lived there but all the street signs in hampton wick say hampton wick until you reach co op where it becomes teddington. hampton wick and teddington are close but not the same

[@duncanbeaumont7121]

"actual, real Teddington (around the docks....)". Docks! DOCKS!!! Where are the docks in Teddington? There ain't no docks in Teddington?

[@jackmartinleith]

@@duncanbeaumont7121 Locks, perhaps?

[@thatcommentaccount69]

Sorry, autocorrect. Meant Lock!

[@thatcommentaccount69]

I lived there from 2009-2016, and from the co-op (which must be new, I seem to remember it used to be a take-away or something) all the way to the bridge, the addresses were Teddington. Some of the road signs now say Hampton Wick, but always used to be Teddington. Hampton Wick's postcode is also the same as Teddington's (TW11)

[@teejayy2130]

Now THAT last shot was an award winner❤

[@StanleyV64]

No way! I used to take the train to see my grandparents by the river Thames, and always thought it an oddity due to its close proximity to Kingston. This tale was very insightful, and also a nice memory of the area. Thanks Jago.

[@Sigira0]

The closing night shot of two trains reflected in the Thames was lurvely, thanks Jago

[@Londoncycleroutes]

Given the uneventful history of Hampton Wick station it may be worth mentioning that it features in a song by local artist Jamie T. Sticks 'n Stones, which peaked at number 15 in the UK singles chart in 2009, include the lyrics: Drunk and being sick, I feel like s*** I gotta quit, I hope I haven't missed the last train Can't be stuck in Hampton Wick With the boys across the platform Shouting, "Lightweight prick! I'm a featherweight champion, cheap to get pissed

[@celosy]

That's a lovely final shot of the lights crossing the river at night - makes me want to take that train just for that...

[@theexcaliburone5933]

That’s shot at the end was beautiful

[@allankellynet]

I'm very glad it exists, for a while I used to work in a small riverside office development just 3 minutes walk from Hampton Wick and used to commute in each day.

[@stephencryan5180]

While a student at Strawberry Hill I lived with a family in Hampton Wick. My bedroom was quite literally at the end of the platform. It was quite an interesting experience getting used to the first trains at 5 or 6 in the morning. Thus I used the line daily from HW to Strawberry Hill.

[@IndigoJo]

I live near there and Hampton Wick is quite a built up area, even if it wasn't when the station was built. The High Street has a few pubs and restaurants and small shops (when I've driven through it on an evening when the weather's nice, it's always busy), but the area generally has quite a lot of houses and although it's not too far to walk from the edge of Kingston town centre, Kingston station is on the north-eastern edge of the town centre so it saves locals a 15 minute walk if they want to get the train. The distance is the same as between many London Tube stations.

[@peterwoolliams1283]

Often get a very slow mo view of the shops at the weekend on the bus as there are often plenty queues…. Getting the train bypasses these ;-)

[@happytrain9354]

That night shot at the end is beautiful

[@wanderingorganist]

Wonderful shot of train crossing the bridge R to L - and wonderful that Lady Luck smiled on you and gave you one going the other way behind it. Stunning shot.

[@michellebell5092]

Last year I did a London Connections trip , Hackney Wick to Hampton Wick. And it’s where I got my first photo rail card done, in 1986.

[@symy92]

Another great video as usual. I especially love the night shot of the trains crossing the river at the end. Oh, and the boat cruising the river isn't too shabby either.

[@andyl4565]

Good video and fantastic closing sequence of the two trains crossing the bridge at night, complete with reflections.

[@richardlewis2808]

Hampton Wick is especially useful when Hampton Court is closed or not being served by SWR, a simple 8-10 min ride on the 111 bus (or 216, 411 or 461).

[@davidfarnes4615]

Thank you for another interesting and informative video. I agree with previous posters; the night time is great, the reflections of the train lights in the water make for a fine piece of cimematography.

[@alejandrayalanbowman367]

Hi Jago from Spain. I particularly like that night-time shot of the illuminated trains crossing the river. One could have worked with that to simulate the curtains opening and closing on the stage.

[@michaelwright2986]

Love the night shot. "Hampton Wick" sounds as though it ought to be rhyming slang for something--apart from the obvious, I mean. But "It's a real pain in the Hampton" has a ring to it.

[@jerrygerza7565]

It is...ref the Goon Show character "Captain Hugh Jampton" 🤭

[@michaelwright2986]

@@jerrygerza7565 Well, well, I'd never heard of that gallant, and doubtless well-endowed, gentleman--and I followed the Goon Show obsessively when it was first broadcast, as did my contemporaries at school. Or maybe that particular ingenuity escaped me, as it obviously escaped the BBC censors. Thank you.

[@michaelwright2986]

@@jerrygerza7565 So, prompted by your reply I looked up "Hugh Jampton" on that search engine that knows far too much about us all. The name seems to have been used as an apt pseudonym by crew on adult entertainment movies, as well as many other occurrences. So colour me naive--though I was perhaps eight when the name was first used on the Goons. I also discovered, going to the second page of results, that Hugh Hampton Young was an early 20th c. surgeon and researcher at Johns Hopkins, specialising in the genito-urinary tract--funny old world. I also discovered that the band leader I knew as Wally Stott, and never took very seriously, was actually a serious presence in the world of film and light music, and had an even more distinguished career after transitioning with the name Angela Morley, being nominated for an Academy Award. One should perhaps try to chart the manifold interconnections that come from a study of underground railways--perhaps tracing them out on the tube map.

[@trevordance5181]

Another excellent and informative video. Jago Hazzard... a man that never gets on anyone's wick!

[@julias-shed]

Lovely closing shot of the river at night 😀

[@trained_4_life]

Well I wanted this station and travelled to work using it for many years first from Waterloo (I lived in North London) and then from Fulwell. Not sure what I would have done without it. Many happy memories (except on cold blustery days - it was built on a viaduct).

[@MultiSync3V]

As a student at Kingston College I always thought Hampton Wick existed to make it easier to bunk the train back home and spend the fare on cider.

[@Bassydix]

I do an inspection over that bridge each week and never knew Hampton wicks purpose 😅 have something to talk about along the way now

[@daveyoder9231]

I loved the closing shot of the train crossing the bridge at night! Well done.

[@highpath4776]

Little is known about the intensive service operated on Race Days from Waterloo when Kempton Park Station was open in the early years of the line. Apparently the normal Class M7 locomotives had insufficient supplies of coal and water and thus a pair of SECR N Class Tenders were borrowed and top and tailed to two locomotives operating the additional trains to hold such supplies , Hampton Wick being the passing place for services as Jago's vid shows with modern electric stock , a local resident , Hugh , said, " Cor ! A pair of Double N Tenders ! "

[@LeeSmith-cf1vo]

About 15 years ago I used to work in Teddington and would pass through Hampton Wick most days (occasionally going via Twickenham instead if I had just missed the via Kingston train). Hampton Wick always looked like a newish station to me so I'm surprised to discover just how old it is. It was also usually deserted (although to be fair I was travelling in the anti-peak direction)

[@Adam-wl8wn]

I used to go to College in Kingston and this was my stop each morning!

[@plaws0]

Oooh. I loved the night sequence at the end!

[@barrydysert2974]

At the end, the shot of the two trains passing each other on the bridge with the reflections in the water is magnificent !:-) 💜🙏

[@genericfootyfan]

What a nice shot at the end!

[@Apollo_Mint]

Hampton Wick exists purely for Cockney slang reasons.

[@apuldram]

Before even watching your presentation. I’ve used it on three occasions recently as I’ve found reasonably priced accommodation here, plus some nice pubs, and easy access to those places you mention. It’s also, a nice simple ride back from town in the evening. Now I’ll watch.

[@MATTY110981]

I always wondered why being one of the main commercial and urban areas in London. Surbiton instead of Kingston is the main station in the area. Also it's a shame the GWR didn't build there line. Would have made a fine addition to the Elizabeth line and also being a Brentford residence a great connection

[@safetyamsv3515]

As a resident of this area I always wondered about this station, now I know, Thank you for this interesting information....

[@j.wellens5660]

I've had the pleasure of using Hampton Wick on four occasions (two return journeys), to attend courses provided by the Down Syndrome association at the very local Langdon Down Centre, Headquarters of the Down Syndrome Association. An amazing charity, housed in an astounding building - worth a visit if you are ever in the area when they are open.

[@MarkDibley]

Omg! That night time shot is stunning! Perfect! The video is pretty good too 😊

[@MarkDibley]

I'm not surprised that I'm not the only one to comment on that.

[@someoneno-one7672]

National Rail services to great extent replace the tube in South London. It is very convenient to have train stations at a tube distance, and I am sure, there is limited but steady number of commuters using it. A very pleasant account of the events that led to this convenient arrangement. Many thanks.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

I've never quite bought the idea that the original London & Southampton Railway wanted to build their line through Kingstion town centre. They wanted a fast route to Southampton, without too many hills and curves. Between Wimbledon and Kingston is the high ground of Wimbledon Common and Kingston Hill, with the valley of the Beverley Brook in between. And immediately west of Kingston, a bridge over the Thames would have been necessary, and then passing through the Home Park of Hampton Court Palace before crossing the river again near the palace itself - that wasn't going to happen! So they built the line on a more southerly alignment, on the outskirts of Kingston, which duly expanded in that direction.

[@bluemayim]

Hey! very interesting and entertaining as always...and that parting shot of the trains passing one another over the river at night is stellar!

[@Starman2319]

Great vid . Fantastic closing night shot. Keep 'em coming!

[@Danny_SE11]

I used that station a lot when I was younger, I didn't grow up with much money so this was the station I used when I didn't have a train ticket when I first started work. I finally earned enough money to pay for a ticket so I got a fast train from Surbiton once that happened but this station saved me when I was a 18 year old with no money. The free travel on buses carried through my childhood but this really help when I stepped into the real world

[@kirk130013]

Jago, I'm surprised there was no mention of Reginald Perrin, whose trains from Hampton Wick were delayed every day

[@nickbarber2080]

...and always by the same number of minutes....

[@PMA65537]

@@nickbarber2080 If you want that kind of thing who lived in Surbiton?

[@norbitonflyer5625]

No, he went from Norbiton (seen in the opening credits)

[@kirk130013]

@@PMA65537 Tom and Barbara Goode👍

[@kirk130013]

@@norbitonflyer5625 my bad....might have been caused by a signal failure at New Malden...nit that that ever happened when I lived in Surbiton

[@amethyst7084]

Thanks Jago! Very reminiscent. I used to attend university in Strawberry Hill, so this loop line running from Norbiton to round to Richmond holds special memories for me ❤👏🏾🚉

[@richardharrold9736]

I rather suspect that the LNWR interest had something to do with their cooperation with the LBSCR. There used to be through trains from Birmingham and the North down to Brighton via the West London line. Usually with a locomotive change at Willesden Junction, in either direction. That is until the LBSCR introduced the superheated I3 locomotive and it was so much more efficient that it was able to work all the way to Rugby without stopping...

[@grahvis]

I used to know someone who lived in a houseboat underneath Kingston railway bridge. Obviously, he didn't care for a quiet life.

[@PopeLando]

Never seen Surbiton station before. Oh my God it's my Art Deco wet dream!😮

[@highpath4776]

See Jagos full vid on it

[@hb1338]

Other than the entrance it has to be on any short list for the most bland station on the planet.

[@highpath4776]

@@hb1338 I think you need to appreciate the platform building curves and materials. I think the paint should be a little more cream than bright white (I might be wrong , what was it when built ?). The side wing shops need restoration to the timber windows and appealing adverts and products, but is Surbiton becoming victim of working from home , and for your dissing of the station I sentence you to an hour wait on the platform at Berrylands.

[@atraindriver]

@@highpath4776 Second offence earns a wait for the next train at Market Rasen in Lincolnshire (will be at least two hours) and a third offence gets them kicked off a train at Manea in Cambridgeshire and required to wait for the next one (in the following peak, which might be the next day...). Any further offences will see them detrained from the last trip on a Saturday at either Kirton Lindsey or Brigg; next train the following Saturday, if Northern can be bothered.

[@kaiquecf]

The GWR proposals would have made quite a difference today, possibly making a way to the District Line to Kingston.

[@alexclayton3402]

This is my local station, so I'm certainly glad it exists.

[@AchyutChaudhary]

This is one station I use every once in a while to commute to school and as a Rail enthusiast, always wondered why Hampton Wick exists despite being close to stations on either side. Thanks a lot for this lovely little informative video, keep up the good work Jago!! 👍👍

[@davidf2281]

Modern Kingston is just an absolute disaster zone of terrible planning and inappropriately massive main roads. Avoiding the gauntlet of the flippin' motorways you have to cross to get to the station is reason enough for Hampton Wick to exist these days, IMO. Edit: More recently than the train crash of 1888, the landlord in the early 2000s of what was the Railway Tavern directly across the road (literally just to the left of the shot at 5:13) was John Stryker. While he was landlord he renamed the pub Stryker's Railway. He was on the FBI's most-wanted list for Mafia connections, and was finally arrested, extradited to America and jailed in 2004.

[@sirmeowthelibrarycat]

😧 I agree. As an elderly man l take more time to cross any road wider than my outstretched arms! There is a crossing by Cromwell Road bus station where buses depart from behind the pedestrian island. One nearly caught me on my first visit to Kingston.

[@chrisamies2141]

I was hoping someone would mention John Stryker! Possibly the most interesting story relating to Hampton Wick Station.

[@chrisamies2141]

I also agree re Kingston and planning. The crowding and the unfriendly planning decisions (which e.g. left it without a leisure centre when one could have been built on the gasworks site. Instead, what did we get? More luxury flats) were most of what made me move away two years ago (after 16 years living there).

[@rick11960]

@@sirmeowthelibrarycat This is a bus only lane and has traffic lights and is well signed.....

[@AnthonyHandcock]

You didn't even mention it was named after Lord Hampton of Wick (Source: Carry On Henry).

[@eattherich9215]

There is a row of falling over red telephone boxes in Kingston.

[@highpath4776]

they are fake ones

[@Anarchyal99]

Also as the first station coming from Waterloo with no ticket barriers, and being a short hop from Kingston, a haven for those who prefer not to buy a ticket... could use a lick of paint, a lift and better bike storage 🙂

[@SeverityOne]

Oh, that last night shot is rather nice. It reminds of one time that I was in London, a long time ago, and I just looked at the city lights from the hotel room. There's something special about cities at night.

[@gorkyshaw]

Teddington is my home station, and Hampton Wick and Kingston on either side of the river always seemed strange. Makes sense now!

[@Tech-xm8vg]

I live in Teddington and always wondered about Hampton Wick station and why it's there when Kingston is, as you said, right across the river. Handy station though.

[@dambrooks7578]

I have been to the Kingston Green Fair a couple of times, bloody awkward for the travelling drummer 🥁 but an interesting May celebration that could be fun again, if only. 🎉😊

[@nixcails]

A lot of these stations are about politics and pre nationalisation. My suburb of Plymouth has two stations one with two platforms on the GWR mainline and another platform across the road which was the LSWR/Southern station. Ironically its the smaller single platform station that has the more frequent every two hours service since the one on the mainline interferes with through trains between Penzance and Plymouth/Bristol/London it musters up about three or four trains a day to meet college students need and fulfill Parliamentary obligation.

[@CareyMcDuff]

A very visually pleasing episode about a part of London that's unfamiliar to me. I'd like to visit. Sometimes it seems the visual flair of your videos is inversely related to the complexity of their content!

[@rodneytrotters]

Thanks for covering this. My family have lived in HW for 60 years and my Dad was the Station Master of HW Station for 30. He used to collect autographs of the Stars and TV presenters that used to pass through the station on to Thames TV studios down Broom Road.

[@marcelwiszowaty1751]

Nice final shot, Mr Hazzard!

[@ThameslinkTravels-fh2qu]

Interesting! I pass through Hampton Wick everyday on the train going to and from school!

[@roderickmain9697]

That explains a lot. As someone who lived in Belmont and Worked in Sunbury, Kingston was a town on the route (sometimes). Just goes to show its not just railway companies with good intentions that come to nothing - sometimes its the local population who prevent something reasonable from happening.

[@Elitist20]

To me Hampton Wick will always be the first Two Ronnies serial: a costume drama featuring Madeline Smith as a Georgian-era governess who finds her virtue in constant peril. At one point she falls in with two characters who turn out to be pickpockets: 'Wot skills do you 'ave, my dear?' 'I have a little French.' 'A little French wot?'

[@jamietrev]

An excellent film Mr Hazard, well shot,edited and good narration. Thank you

[@tabs4917]

As a Hampton Wick resident, I have been asking myself this very question for many years. I always knew this place wasn't a real town.

[@iamlinxx_]

I have always wondered if there was something in the Hampton Wick area before, which has gone now why there was a station here, now I know.

[@brianfretwell3886]

Nice to see a couple of ex-class 508 carriages in those class 455s in the video. They got left behind when the 508's were cut to 3 car for Merseyside use. That cut the cost of some new build class 455s. I found out from a BR "I for Information" leaflet on collisions, that shouldn't have been left out for the public, that whne built a class 508 cost £580,000 for the full unit!!!!

[@nickbarber2080]

Surbiton was.of course,referred to as "Kingston-upon-Railway" for reasons explained in this video...

[@VR6_SKC]

I like driving under the bridge and making alot of exhaust noise 😂😂

[@smokerjim]

Surely it's a commemeration to the rhyming inventiveness of cockneys?

[@sidbrun_]

3:21 - slight correction in the caption. Pictured is actually the old "Brentford" station, whereas "Brentford Town" was the next station to the North, and still exists as part of the industrial estate.

[@roberthuron9160]

When it comes to the LSWRand GWR,it always a question of YoYo,politics! How many lines were built because of the tension of those two companies! Almost as bad as the SECR,and the LB&SC,or GCR/ Metropolitan!! Just take your pick!! Thanks Jago,for another excursion into the obscure,and obvious! Thank you 😇! 😇

[@jonathanmormerod]

Sounds like the same logic for having HS2 termini nowhere near the cities they purport to serve.🤣 I don't know about now, but 25 years ago when I lived there, Hampton Wick still had the feel of a village, not an appendage of Kingston. The fact that it had its own station helped to maintain that feel. A lot of US soldiers based in the Royal Parks in WW2 came to like the place too. It had 13 pubs and was well known as a place where they could procure comfort from the local gentlewomen.

[@sebhoward6674]

Interesting facts! Would like to see u document Norwood junction station and it’s history. Especially with that platform 7 thing I told you about a while back👍

[@contrapunctusmammalia3993]

Cool night time shot!!

[@rabidpb]

I'd like a video on the goods yard which was sited between the river and Kingston station, now occupied by flats. The remnant of the bridge carrying the turnout to the site is about all that remains to be seen today.

[@highpath4776]

I cannot recall the Goods Yard, I thought it was Kingston Power Station adjacent the river (for coal by boat or train and cooling water ) , the area also had some of the pioneers of flight aircraft factories. The Coal Yard for Kingston was where the bus station is (not the fairfield one), but general goods you would have to look at a map.

[@DBIVUK]

Very disappointed to discover it's not a huge Hampton, and is in fact a fairly small Hampton.

[@chrisamies2141]

There are several Hamptons, all around Bushy Park. Hampton Wick, Hampton Court, Hampton (just that), Hampton Hill, and Hampton Village (or whatever you want to call the bit over towards Hanworth).

[@DBIVUK]

@@chrisamies2141 A huge Hampton coming out of a Bushy Park, well I never

[@AtheistOrphan]

Littlehampton?

[@NickyMitchell85]

……and you’re the “Kingston Extension” to all of KZbin, Mr. Jago Hazzard.

[@crispoman]

I must admit that I had trouble following the historical details as I was too distracted by the fact that Hampton Wick is unstaffed. Don't they know you can get tablets for that now?

[@kbtred51]

elegant closing shot

[@stephenbrasher]

Hampton Wick had its own Urban District Council (1894-1937) having previously had its own local board. I think it may have been the smallest in London, and possibly the whole of England. It's chairmen included Horace Bertram Nelson (1900-08) supposedly a direct descendent of Lord Nelson and if you wanted a spurious railway name connection , Henry Pullman (1908-13).

[@rick11960]

The UDC building is across the road and preserved.

[@mickeydodds1]

Apologies, but someone had to say it. The slang term 'Hampton' formerly much used to describe an unmentionable is, of course, abbreviated Cockney rhyming slang for 'Hampton Wick', station and all 😊

[@ianthomson9363]

It was almost 'You are the Kingston extension to my Hampton!'

[@JohnyG29]

You didn't have to say it, about 50 other "comedians" have already said it in the comments. A very original bunch here...🤣

[@hairyairey]

Weirdly I've used that station more than any on that line, although it's not the nearest for the Bushy parkrun it's very handy for a cycle shop I used a lot.

[@julianevans9548]

Just for the euphemistic qualities.

[@toowindytoskydive]

As Blackadder might have said 'a cunning plan.'

[@JamesHigham]

An existential question indeed.

[@NickyMitchell85]

I agree ☝️.

[@andyknott8148]

I do urge viewers to watch to the end, the night shot is worth the wait.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Jago didn’t want to make this video but he had to. The public were enthusiastic and Parliament insisted. (Jk)

[@eastlancsesteem]

I've been to Kingston last year.