Hampton Ferry is a seasonal foot (and cycle) ferry across the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is about upstream, west, of

Hampton Court Bridge Hampton Court Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge that crosses the River Thames in England approximately north–south between Hampton, London and East Molesey, Surrey, carrying the A309. It is the upper of two road bridges on the reach ab ...

. The bridge links a busy zone of activity on both banks including

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

. The ferry links a large riverside park to the oldest parts of the town of

Hampton, London Hampton is a suburb of Greater London on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England, and the historic county of Middlesex. Hampton is bounded by Bushy Park to the east (and to the north of St Al ...

, including its church, inn and various

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

such as Garrick House which is private apartments and

Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare is a small garden folly erected in 1756 on the north bank of the River Thames at Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Grade I listed, it was built by the actor David Garrick to honour the pl ...

beside a narrow strip of sloped bank. This is known as Saint Albans Riverside, as it was owned by one of the Dukes of Saint Albans, seated at Hanworth House and Park, about two miles away. On the north side, this part of former

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

became outer-most London in 1965 by an Act of 1963. The towpath on the south side is for about 400 metres each way in public grassland with picnic places and beyond, for about shaded by trees, east and west.

Details

The ferry links

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...

, on the north bank and in the

London Borough of Richmond The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

, with Moulsey or Molesey Hurst, the largest park of

Molesey Molesey is a suburban district comprising two large villages, East Molesey and West Molesey, in the Borough of Elmbridge, Surrey, England. Molesey is within the Greater London Built-up Area, and is situated on the south bank of the River Thames ...

on the south bank and in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. The ferry is in the Molesey, Hampton and Sunbury reach (between

and

Sunbury Lock Sunbury Lock is a lock complex of the River Thames in England near Walton-on-Thames in north-west Surrey, the third lowest of forty four on the non-tidal reaches. The complex adjoins the right, southern bank about downstream of the Weir Ho ...

s). It is one of two of this reach's Thames crossings – both are ferries. These are the only crossings between

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

and

Walton Bridge Walton Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in England, carrying the A244 between Walton-on-Thames and Shepperton, crossing the Thames on the reach between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock. The bridge is the first Thames road bri ...

s. The ferry operates between March and October inclusive; every day on demand. It can be boarded opposite Hampton's oldest church which is on the north bank, and by the Molesey Heritage Marker on the south bank. The ferry has been operating since 1514, with the first crossings made from Hampton primarily for fishermen to fish in the then seasonally marshy and reed-laden Moulsey Hurst, which ate much further into the east/west parishes (and manors) of Molesey, but also for the hire of agricultural workers and presumably for walks and for bargemens' work/relief to the nearby inn as the grounds were public, as a

common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

. The towpath is on the south bank. Its incorporation by statute makes it one of the 10 oldest British companies and among the 150 oldest companies in Europe.

References

External links

* {{coord, 51.4120, -0.3625, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title River Thames ferries Transport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Transport in Surrey

Details

See also

References

External links