Split down the middle by the River Thames, this affluent neighbourhood is dominated by the sprawling Hampton Court Park as well as residential streets of elegant detached houses. The main focal point, however, is Hampton Court Palace. Sitting on the northern bank of the Thames, the palace draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. With Hampton Court station just south of the Palace, those who live nearby can access central London with relative ease. Local amenities cater to both tourists and locals, with a number of quaint riverside restaurants and pubs. While there are very few residential areas in the northern half of this area, the southern half attracts a community of well-to-do commuting families who love the riverside living.

Once the home of Cardinal Wolsey, the Archbishop of York, the area eventually took the fancy of King Henry VIII. Henry VIII had received the land in 1528 as a gift from Wolsey in an attempt to save his own neck after becoming aware the King was plotting his downfall as Wolsey had failed to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry used Hampton Court to demonstrate his own wealth and power. He did this by building bigger, lavish buildings in the Perpendicular Gothic style, and constructing the famous maze and Great Vine. The house remained a royal household for centuries, despite Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth (1649-60). Following the building’s restoration, numerous changes were made in order to make the outdated palace resemble the fashionable French court of Versailles. The palace was opened up to the public in 1838 and has remained one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions ever since.

Hampton Court’s royal history means that its life is full of interesting stories. One of the most famous is its association with ghostly behaviour. Jane Seymour, one of Henry’s wives, died in 1537 is believed to have haunted the site. Additionally, Catherine Howard, who was executed in 1542, is also believed to be wandering the halls to this day.

Whilst only a few people live in the neighbourhood, Hampton Court station is a very popular transport hub, providing train services to London Waterloo for much of the surrounding area. Because it is both a tourist and commuter hotspot, the station and trains have a tendency to get quite busy at peak times.

Due in no small part to its location as both a commuter and a tourist hub, Hampton Court station has been singled out as a key station in the development of Crossrail 2. The works will double the number of trains into central London from 2 to 4 per hour over the next decade. This will surely reduce congestion as the suburban neighbourhood becomes more and more popular. No doubt to compliment this addition, plans have been waived through for a development consisting of 97 flats, an 84-room hotel, a café and an underground carpark on the site of the former Jolly Boatman restaurant, which has sat derelict for over 30 years. Having been rejected by Elmbridge Council in 2021 along with 1,800 letters of opposition from locals on the grounds that it would obscure local heritage sites, in July 2022 a government planning inspector approved the plans reassuring locals that the development would benefit the area and not be harmful to the area’s setting.