St. Margarets

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For churches called St Margaret's, see St Margaret's Church.

St. Margarets

Coordinates: 51.46° N 0.32° W
OS grid reference	TQ168742
London borough	Richmond
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TWICKENHAM
Postcode district	TW1
Dial code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Twickenham
London Assembly	South West
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

St. Margarets (alternatively St Margaret's) is a leafy London suburb, situated 9.3 miles west-southwest of Charing Cross, on the north bank of the River Thames opposite Richmond. The district is bounded to the east and south by a bend in the River Thames and to its north and west by the River Crane.

1 Character
2 History
3 Neighbouring areas
4 Transport
5 External links

[edit] Character

St. Margarets is a fashionable riverside district, particularly popular with young professionals and families. The area is characterised by its attractive tree-lined residential roads and its eclectic range of shops and cafés. Central St. Margarets, known locally as "St. Margarets Village", is home to Twickenham Studios, one of London's most important film studios.

The area to the east of St. Margarets, closest to Richmond Bridge, is known as East Twickenham (the home of the now demolished 'Richmond Ice Rink'). East Twickenham has a more urbane character, on account of its adjacence to Richmond town centre. Recently, the perceived (though not easily defined) East Twickenham/St. Margarets border has gradually retreated towards Richmond Bridge, primarily as a result of the definitions used by the local estate agents. In the eyes of most locals, however, St. Margarets and East Twickenham are generally considered as being broadly one and the same neighbourhood.

To the west, St. Margarets is bounded by the Moor Mead Park, which lies adjacent to the River Crane. This popular public open space is home to the annual St Margarets Fair, which takes place each July.

[edit] History

Modern St. Margarets dates from the arrival of the railway in the 1850s. Twickenham's river frontage was already the site of large eighteenth century houses and gardens, notably York House (now council offices), Orleans House and Marble Hill House. In 1814, with advice from his friend Sir John Soane, the eminent architect, the famous English painter J.M.W. Turner built a house in Sandycoombe Road, leading down to Marble Hill Park, by the Thames. The house Sandycombe Lodge (originally Solus Lodge), is still there today. Turner painted many local scenes of the river Thames in the area. Many large Victorian houses also remain in the area along with infill housing from the twentieth century.

Between St Margarets Road and the railway line (to the east of the "village") is a residential estate, "Twickenham Park", an area of large houses with some unusual architecture - for example semi-detached side-to-side, or semi-detached L shaped buildings, as opposed to the more usual front-to-back division. Most are now split into multiple occupancy. This park had two entrances, with lodge buildings at each - one, Victoria Lodge, survives. South of Richmond Road, in the bend of the river, lies another similar area, Cambridge Park.

[edit] Neighbouring areas

Neighbouring districts include Richmond 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 and south is prevented by the lack of a fixed river crossing between Richmond Lock and Kew Bridge; however a foot- and bicycle ferry carries passengers between the riverside near Ham House and the Marble Hill House bank.

[edit] Transport

[edit] Road

St. Margarets is bisected by the busy Chertsey Road (A316), which connects Central London with the M3 motorway to the southwest.

[edit] Rail

The area is served by St. Margarets mainline station, with frequent services (usually every 15 mins) in and out of Waterloo, and is a 20-minute walk from Richmond's District Line underground station.

[edit] Bus

St Margarets is also served by the H37 bus which runs between Hounslow and Richmond. A short walk from the centre of the village are other bus stops which connect you with the rest of the area.