Shepperton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shepperton | |
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| Population | 10,796[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Spelthorne |
| Shire county | Surrey |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SHEPPERTON |
| Postcode district | TW17 |
| Dial code | 01932 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | Spelthorne |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Surrey | |
Shepperton is a town in Surrey in the borough of Spelthorne, in 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.
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 Harry Enfield's Kevin and Perry Go Large and Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein. Shepperton is also the home of author J. G. Ballard and 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 specializes in music. Famous past students include Ben Smith - bassist for the band Rooster, Steven Ruston - bassist for the band Son Of A 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 who has collaborated with Billy Childish and supported The White Stripes and The Fall, to name but two.
[edit] References
[edit] Famous residents
- J. G. Ballard, writer
- Frank Finlay, actor
