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Coordinates: 51°24′N 0°28′W / 51.40°N 0.46°W
| Shepperton | |
 Shepperton Lock |
|
  Shepperton
Shepperton shown within Surrey |
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| Population | 10,796 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Spelthorne |
| Shire county | Surrey |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SHEPPERTON |
| Postcode district | TW17 |
| Dialling code | 01932 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Spelthorne |
| List of places: UK • England • Surrey | |
Shepperton is a town in the borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England. To the South it is bounded by the river Thames at Desborough Island and is bisected by the M3 motorway.
The name is derived from 'Shepherd's Town' and the name of one of the older streets, Sheep Walk, still reflects that origin.
Shepperton in the Domesday Book of 1086 was called Scepertone. It was held by Westminster Abbey. Its domesday assets were: 8 hides. It had 7 ploughs, pasture for 7 ploughs, 1 weir worth 6s 8d. It rendered £6.[2]
The Church Square area, next to the river is the original village. When a railway station was constructed a mile to the North, linking Shepperton to London's Waterloo station, the village expanded in that direction. Shepperton was a parish in the Staines Rural District in Middlesex from 1894 to 1930, when it became part of the Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District. It was transferred to Surrey in 1965 rather than becoming part of Greater London.
Shepperton Studios is located here. Many films were made here such as Carol Reed's The Third Man, Harry Enfield's Kevin and Perry Go Large and Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein and John Huston's "The African Queen" . Shepperton was also the home of author J. G. Ballard and provides the setting for his novel The Unlimited Dream Company, it also gets a mention in the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells in which its destruction is described. In fact, to non-British people this town and its neighbour Weybridge are more likely to be known for their fictional destruction in Wells' book than for any actual event which happened there.
Shepperton is home to Thamesmead School, which was until recently famous for its music concerts, particularly pop and rock music, under the leadership of Dennis Elvie. Former pop/rock music students include Ben Smyth - bassist for the band Rooster, Steven Ruston - bassist for the band Son Of Dork and Richard Archer - lead singer for the chart topping band HARD-Fi. Another ex-student of Thamesmead school is Dan Melchior a singer/songwriter/guitarist now living in the USA.
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Places of Worship
- Shepperton Community Church
- Shepperton Baptist Church
- St John Fisher (Roman Catholic)
- Richmond Drive (Reynolds)
- St Nicholas (Church of England)
- St Mary Magdalene, Littleton (Church of England)
Notable residents
- J. G. Ballard, author, lived in the same semi-detached house in Shepperton for over fifty years until his death in 2009.
- Frank Finlay, actor
- Tom Rush, blues/folk singer
- Peter Moran, Grange Hill actor
- Ray Dorset, lead singer of Mungo Jerry
- Lewis Flude, lead guitarist and electronic musician
Other former residents include:
- Celestine Babayaro, Nigerian footballer
- Tom Jones, Welsh pop music singer
- Ruth Wilson, actress
- John Boorman, English Filmmaker
References
External links
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