The neighbourhood of Hook is a typically-suburb area in south-west London, situated within the borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. This area is popular with families and commuters, although many work in nearby centres such as Kingston and out in nearby Surrey. The area is well-liked for the nice balance it provides between rural and urban lifestyles, with residents enjoying the ability to reach the popular open spaces in Surrey as well as central London. In terms of transport, there is sadly no nearby access to a London Underground station, but there are twice-hourly services to London Waterloo from Chessington North and Tolworth station, or residents can take a bus to nearby Surbiton which has regular fast services to central London.

The name ‘Hook’ most likely came from a reference to a hook-shaped piece of land, but in fact prior to being called Hook was actually called ‘Grappellingham’. The area itself did not see a lot of development before the 20th century, but there was a small Hamlet that existed prior to the development which came with the arrival of the railways. Before this later development, tradesman and craftsmen had to travel to Kingston to trade. The 19th century saw more modest development, with local St Paul’s church being consecrated in 1838 and the building of better local roads. The 20th century saw the building of many homes and community buildings, which saw this south-west suburb take on its modern form.

One resident who once lived in the area has become a national icon, famed for her world-renowned children’s books, Enid Blyton. The beloved children’s author lived on Hook Road whilst working as a governess, and It was here that she began writing, leading on to eventually write classics such as Noddy, the Famous Five and Secret Seven series! She was able to write 10,000 words a day. This fantastic ability to write fast may explain how she was able to produce over 600 children’s books over the course of her career!

Another interesting spot in the nearby area is marked by its unique position underneath the A3. In fact the Southborough underpass, which connects those on the Chessington side of the A3 to neighbouring Tolworth and Southborough, was one of the first constructions of its kind in the country when it was built in 1960.

Whilst on the whole this area is relatively safe and accessible, there are a number of problems regarding connectivity and transport that often affect outer-London areas such as this. Sadly, whilst many commute and rely on public transport to get to work, there can sometimes be delays on the Chessington and Surbiton lines, which can mean a trip to central London requires more changes, replacement buses, and journeys of over an hour and a half. Aside from this, the neighbourhood is generally well-located and favourably regarded by locals.

Hook is likely to feel the effects of Crossrail 2 at nearby Chessington North and Chessington South stations, which will reduce journey times into central London and alleviate congestion on the busy South Western Main Line. However, the project has been on hold since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and is not expected to be completed until well after 2030. One new development to the local area which has been overwhelmingly popular is the opening of a new roller coaster and two new flat rides in a new area code-named “Project Amazon”, suspected to be opening in 2023. This development is expected to help business at the park, enabling it to expand its appeal to visitors travelling from further away. Likely as a result of this addition, a 57-acre residential and community scheme known as Hook Park is in the pipeline just to the east of the Kingston and Esher bypasses. The site, owned by Poppymill and used for outdated industrial and ad-hoc storage uses will be regenerated into 2,000 new homes, 40% of which will be affordable, with retail, leisure, food and drink and plenty of green space, including a 20-acre country park.