St Margarets, London

St Margarets is a suburb[1] in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, about 9 miles (14 km) west-southwest of central London. It is within the Twickenham post town. It is bounded by the River Thames to the north, east and south, and the River Crane to the north-west; the northern limit, less well defined, has changed with local government boundary revisions.[2] St Margarets does not pass any further south than Richmond Road, Twickenham. The area closer to Richmond Bridge is known as East Twickenham and is not regarded as part of St Margarets.

For churches called St Margaret's, see St Margaret's Church (disambiguation).

St Margarets

The front of St Margarets station can be seen at the end of the parade of shops on St Margarets Road
St Margarets
Location within Greater London
Population3,872 2011 Census
OS grid referenceTQ168742
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTWICKENHAM
Postcode districtTW1
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
St Margarets station
Twickenham Film Studios are actually located in St Margarets.
Houseboats on river Thames, close to Twickenham Bridge

History

St Margarets takes its name from the former St Margaret's House completed in 1827, although an earlier house of the same name stood on the site.[3][4] It was the country house of Lord Cassilis, Marquess of Ailsa, and later belonged to the Earl of Kilmorey. Their names can be found in local street names, including Kilmorey Gardens and Ailsa Road.

Many Victorian houses remain in St Margarets. In 1854 the St Margaret's Estate was laid out for building family houses, becoming one of the first garden suburbs.[5]

Modern St Margarets dates from the arrival of the railway. The new railway station was originally named "Ailsa Crossing" as it passed through the estate of the Marquess of Ailsa, but it was the named "St Margarets" before opening. There are some tree-lined residential roads and a range of shops and cafés. Twickenham Studios are in the middle of the area. Between St Margarets Road and the railway line (to the east of the "village") is a residential estate, "Twickenham Park".

The St Margarets Fair is held each July in the principal public space, Moormead Park by the River Crane.

A memorial was unveiled in April 2017 to the 6000 Belgian refugees who lived in St Margarets during the First World War. It is sited on the banks of the Thames at Warren Gardens, next to the site of the Pelabon Munitions Works.[6]

Buildings

In 1814 the painter J. M. W. Turner built Solus Lodge in Sandycoombe Road. The house survives as Sandycombe Lodge.

Gordon House is a Grade II listed[7] Georgian mansion on the river Thames at St Margarets. Like St Margaret's House it was previously owned by Lord Kilmorey.[8] The house has a Robert Adam wing, added in 1738. For many years, it was used as part of Brunel University.[9] In recent years the house has been redeveloped by Octagon Developments, with the former chapel and coachhouse converted to private homes.

The Kilmorey Mausoleum has been moved several times, and is now located on the northern edge of St Margarets, near the boundary with Isleworth. It was built in the 1850s by the 2nd Earl of Kilmorey and contains the bodies of the Earl and his mistress, Priscilla Anne Hoste. Now a Grade II* listed building,[10] it was built to resemble an ancient Egyptian monument. It is jointly maintained by Richmond upon Thames Council and English Heritage.[11] The mausoleum is occasionally open to the public.[12]

The Roman Catholic Church of St Margaret of Scotland on St Margarets Road was built to a modern design of the architect Austin Winckley and opened in 1969. In 1999 it became a Grade II listed building.[13]

Education

There are three main schools in the town: Orleans Park School (secondary), St. Stephen’s Primary School (primary) and Orleans Primary School (primary).

Local community

The high street is flourishing with local, independent businesses. Small businesses elsewhere have suffered in the harsh economic climate, but here, local residents' support may have contributed to an increase in the number of boutique shops opened for business.[14]

Neighbouring areas

Neighbouring districts include East Twickenham to the east, Richmond further to the east (across Richmond Bridge or Richmond Lock), Twickenham to the southwest and Isleworth to the northwest, across the River Crane. Access to the east is restricted by the lack of a fixed river crossing between Richmond Lock and Kew Bridge.

Marble Hill House and Marble Hill Park are immediately to the south of St Margarets.

Transport

Road

St Margarets is cut through by the busy Chertsey Road (A316), which connects central London to the M3 motorway. Much of south St Margarets is in a controlled parking zone (CPZ), which restricts parking to residents and holders of vouchers. See map of CPZ in south St Margarets.

Rail

The normal service from St Margarets station is four trains per hour to and from Waterloo.

Bus

The H37 bus between Hounslow and Richmond is the only route through St Margarets. Other nearby bus routes are H22, 33, R68, R70 and 490 coming from central Twickenham along Richmond Road; all of these, except 33, go past Richmond station.

Notable inhabitants

Living people
Name Description Local connection Ref
Samantha Bond Actress She was brought up in Barnes and St Margarets. She and her husband, actor Alexander Hanson, live in St Margarets [15]
Milton Jones Actor He lives in St Margarets [16]
Sophie Raworth Newsreader and journalist She lives in St Margarets [17]

Historical figures
Name Dates Description Local connection Ref
Lynn Faulds Wood 1948–2020 Television presenter and cancer campaigner She and her husband John Stapleton, journalist and presenter, lived in St Margarets [17]
Simon Hoggart 1946–2014 Broadcaster and journalist He lived in Sandycoombe Road, St Margarets [18]
Henrietta Howard 1734–1767 Influential courtier and mistress to King George II George II built her a residence, Marble Hill House (now a museum) in Marble Hill Park. [19]
J. M. W. Turner 1775–1851 English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist He commissioned the building of a country retreat on Sandycombe Road which is now known as Turner's House and is open to the public. [20]

References
  1. A City of Villages: Promoting a sustainable future for London's suburbs (PDF). SDS Technical Report 11. Greater London Authority. August 2002. ISBN 1 85261 393 9. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  2. "Review of Greater London, the London boroughs and the City of London: London Borough of Hounslow Report no 652". Local Government Boundary Commission for England. 10 February 1992. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  3. "Lord Cassilis' Grounds – Guide to London's Georgian Thames". Panorama of the Thames. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  4. "Earl Cassilis, Marquis of Ailsa, Twickenham Park". www.twickenhampark.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  5. "History". St Margarets Estate Residents Association. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  6. "Belgian WWI Memorial commemoration in East Twickenham". St Margarets Community Website. 29 May 2017.
  7. Historic England (21 May 1973). "Gordon House Maria Grey Training College (1240076)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  8. "The Earl of Kilmorey". Twickenham Museum. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  9. "Gordon House today".
  10. Historic England (3 November 1995). "The Kilmorey Mausoleum, including enclosure wall, railings and gate (1240128)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  11. Rachel Bishop (14 June 2013). "Egyptian tomb was damaged by repairs". Richmond and Twickenham Times. p. 4.
  12. "Home page". Kilmorey Mausoleum. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  13. Historic England (5 May 1999). "Church of St Margaret of Scotland (1387183)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  14. "Feature on the Flourishing of Local, Independent Businesses in St Margarets". Richmond and Twickenham Times. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  15. Clare Buchanan (15 January 2014). "St Margarets resident Samantha Bond misses out on star baker". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  16. Siân Ranscombe (20 February 2015). "Milton Jones on hecklers, Geoff Hurst and Arsenal". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  17. Tom Ambrose (7 March 2014). "Watchdog returns, with St Margarets presenters taking the lead". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  18. Tom Ambrose (6 January 2014). "St Margarets mourns renowned journalist Simon Hoggart". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  19. "History and Stories: Marble Hill House". English Heritage. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  20. "Home". Turner's House. Retrieved 9 July 2020.


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