With the rumbling M3 to the north and the idyllic banks of the Thames to the south, the riverside village of Shepperton is a unique watery landscape that combines industrial and residential land with floating homes, canals, reservoirs, and locks. The strong community works hard to conserve its ancient village locations, such as Church Square, which features the centuries-old Anchor and King’s Head pubs, as well as the 16th century St Nicholas’ Church. The residential areas are more distinctly suburban, lined with Edwardian semis and Victorian shop-fronted terraces that are centred around the High Street and Shepperton Station. Operating on the South Western Railway line, the station sits more than 30km from London Waterloo and runs only two trains per hour into the city. Despite this, Shepperton is a popular commuter town, with many families moving in from outer south-west London areas such as Hampton and Twickenham, drawn by the good schools, affordable houses, and the increased green space, with Chertsey Meads and Shepperton Golf Course on their doorstep.

The name Shepperton is believed to derive from the Saxon word Scepertune, meaning ‘Shepherd’s farm’, and was linked to the wool-producing meadows to the south by the ancient Sheep Walk. The rural village was documented in the Domesday book of 1086 as having only 25 households, and despite small periods of growth, remained a sparsely populated pastoral village until the Thames Valley Railway was introduced in 1864. As transport links improved, Shepperton Studios was built in 1931, and has since been one of the most defining features of the village, with films such as The Third Man (1949), Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove (1964) and A Clockwork Orange (1971), Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), and many more. It was even the location of the final performance by The Who before the death of Keith Moon, and still remains a prosperous studio today.

This quiet suburban village is rather surprisingly associated with one of the most famous crimes of the 20th century. Living at 6 Old Forge Crescent was the seemingly ordinary family of Mr and Mrs Green and their daughter, who had recently moved to the area in the summer of 1963. Three weeks later they were gone. It turned out that Mr Green, whose real name was “Buster” Edwards, was one of the main members of the gang who had committed the Great Train Robbery that same year, stealing £2,600,000 (£50m today) of used banknotes from the Glasgow-London train in Buckinghamshire! Edwards evaded arrest before escaping to Mexico until 1966, when the money ran out and he returned home to his arrest.

While Shepperton is a popular commuter town, it is still rather difficult to get into central London. Its 18-mile distance from town means that Oyster Cards cannot be used so tickets must be bought, which adds up to a lot of money when commuting for work. The infrequency of the trains, and notorious unreliability of South Western Railway services can make travel rather irregular, with arrival times hard to predict.

Shepperton has been selected as one of the stops on the new Crossrail 2 network, which would connect Surrey to Hertfordshire. The proposed development will increase the frequency of services, reduce overcrowding on this busy commuter route, improve accessibility for those with disabilities, and increase local investment and jobs. The initiative, however, has been subjected to repeated delays and uncertainties. Hopes were that works for Crossrail 2 would begin in the early 2020s and be completed by 2030. The pandemic, as well as 2022’s economic turmoil and revolving door of prime ministers, have all contributed to this. There is, however, room to be optimistic. In 2022, hopes for the new route have been given a boost after the Government offered £3.6 billion to the Mayor of London and Transport for London to begin works for Crossrail 2. While the Greater London Authority has not made any public declaration since then, it at least seems like momentum for the scheme has been revived.

Despite these issues, a few exciting new developments are taking place in and around Shepperton. In 2021, Richborough Estates completed a land promotion agreement for a 7.5 acre site in the area. Located off New Road, it will deliver approximately 130 new homes including affordable housing provision. The Green Belt site benefits from an allocation in Spelthorne Council’s Local Plan. Additionally, Shepperton Studios’ proposal for expansion was recently approved in early 2022 and it aims to double the size of its production hub, partially on Green Belt land as well. While normally residents can quite defensive about Green Belt land development, the studios’ proposal has only received one letter of objection, a potential sign of its general support.