Teddington facts for kids

For other uses, see Teddington (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Teddington
Teddington Lock Bridge (west)
Teddington
Area	4.27 km² (1.65 sq mi)
Population	10,562 (2021)
• Density	2,474/km² (6,410/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TQ159708
London borough	Richmond
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TEDDINGTON
Postcode district	TW11
Dialling code	020

Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London

EU Parliament	London
UK Parliament	Twickenham
London Assembly	South West
List of places UK England London 51°25′26″N 0°19′55″W / 51.424°N 0.332°W / 51.424; -0.332

Teddington is a lovely part of London, found in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It used to be an old parish in Middlesex county. In 1965, Teddington became part of Greater London. In 2021, The Sunday Times even called Teddington the best place to live in London!

Teddington sits along a winding part of the River Thames. It is located between Hampton Wick and Strawberry Hill. Most of Teddington is homes, stretching from the river to Bushy Park. The main shopping and business area is along the A313 road. In the middle of Teddington, you'll find the High Street and Broad Street. There's also a cool suspension bridge over Teddington Lock. This is the lowest lock on the Thames where the river is no longer affected by tides.

Teddington's Economy and Businesses

The main area for shops, offices, and other places is along the A313 road. This road has different names like Hampton Road, Broad Street, and High Street.

You'll find two groups of offices here. Near Bushy Park are science centers like the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The NPL is a very important place for measurements in the UK. Other companies like the National Measurement Office and LGC are also there. Near Teddington station, there are offices for things like marketing and IT. These include groups like Tearfund and BMT Limited.

Many businesses and homes by the river were rebuilt into modern apartments. The old Teddington Studios site is now also being turned into new homes.

The Teddington Lock is the lowest lock on the Thames. You can reach it by crossing the Teddington Lock Footbridges. In 2001, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) opened the Teddington Lifeboat Station. This is one of four lifeboat stations on the Thames. It started working in 2002 and is the only station on the river run by volunteers.

Teddington's History

What Does "Teddington" Mean?

The name "Teddington" comes from an old English tribal leader named Tuda. In old Saxon and Norman times, it was called Todyngton and Tutington.

How Teddington Began

People have found old tools from the Stone Age in Bushy Park. There are also some hints of Roman people living here. But the first real settlement in Teddington was likely in Saxon times. Teddington wasn't mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was part of the entry for Hampton.

Benedictine monks in Staines first owned Teddington Manor. They probably built a chapel to St. Mary where St. Mary's Church is today. In 971, the land in Teddington was given to Westminster Abbey. By the 1300s, Teddington had about 100 to 200 people. Most of the land was owned by the Abbot of Westminster. Other people rented land and had to work in the fields for part of the year.

The Hampton Court Palace gardens were started around 1500. This was for the rebuilding of a manor into the palace in 1521. These gardens were used for hunting by Cardinal Wolsey and later by Henry VIII. In 1540, some common land in Teddington was fenced off to create Bushy Park. This also became a hunting ground.

Bushy House was built in 1663. Important people lived there, like Lord North, a British Prime Minister. He lived there for over twenty years. Later, William IV of the United Kingdom lived there with Dorothy Jordan. After he became king, his wife, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, lived there. The house later became part of the National Physical Laboratory.

Changes in Teddington's Economy

In the centuries that followed, Teddington did well because it was close to royalty. By 1800, it had grown a lot. But a "Little Ice Age" made farming less profitable. People had to find other jobs. This led to big economic changes in the 1800s.

A major event was the building of Teddington Lock in 1811. It included a weir across the river. This was the first of five locks built by the City of London Corporation. In 1889, the Teddington Lock Footbridges were finished. These bridges connect Teddington to Ham. Local businesses and people helped pay for them.

After the railway was built in 1863, it was easy to travel to Twickenham, Richmond, Kingston, and London. Teddington's population grew very quickly. It went from 1,183 people in 1861 to 14,037 in 1901.

Many roads and houses were built, continuing into the 1900s. This created the close-knit streets we see today from the Victorian and Edwardian times. In 1867, a local board was set up to manage the area.

In 1864, some Christians left the Anglican Church of St. Mary's. They started their own church, Christ Church. Their first church building was on what is now Church Road.

The Victorians tried to build a huge church, St. Alban's. It was meant to look like Notre Dame de Paris. But they ran out of money. Only the main part (the nave) was finished. In 1993, St. Alban's Church became the Landmark Arts Centre. It is now a place for concerts and art shows.

A new cemetery, Teddington Cemetery, opened in 1879. Several schools were built in Teddington in the late 1800s. This was because of the Elementary Education Act 1870. By 1899, over 2,000 children were in schools. This changed the village, where many people could not read before.

Teddington in the 20th Century

On April 26, 1913, a train in Teddington was almost destroyed. This was due to an attack by suffragettes.

Many changes happened around the early 1900s in Teddington. New businesses opened, some of which are still around today. In 1902, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) started in Bushy House. The NPL works on important measurements and physics. The first accurate atomic clock was built there. The Teddington Carnegie Library was built in 1906. Electricity also came to Teddington, helping it grow more.

Before this, the only hospital was a very small one. It couldn't handle the growing population, especially during the First World War. Money was collected for ten years to build Teddington Memorial Hospital in 1929.

By the start of the Second World War, the NPL was the biggest employer in Teddington. During the war, it focused on military research. Its most famous invention was the "bouncing bomb". Also during the war, General Dwight D. Eisenhower planned the D-Day landings from his headquarters in Bushy Park.

Teddington Studios opened in 1958. This was a TV studio complex and a former home of Thames Television.

Most of the rebuilding after bomb damage in World War II was done by 1960. Big chain stores like Tesco started opening up.

The Teddington Society

The Teddington Society was started in 1973 by local people. It works to keep Teddington special and helps with local community projects.

Education in Teddington

The local government for schools in Teddington is the Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council.

Primary schools in Teddington include Collis Primary School, St Mary's & St Peter's Primary School, Sacred Heart RC School, and Stanley Juniors and Infants. The main secondary school is Teddington School.

St Mary's & St Peter's Primary School was first started by Dorothy Bridgeman in the late 1600s. She left money to help educate poor children. In 1832, a boys' school opened. Queen Adelaide supported it. Its buildings now house the primary school.

Fun Things to Do in Teddington

The Landmark Arts Centre is a special charity. It offers many arts and education programs for the community. You can take art classes, go to concerts, and see exhibitions there.

Sports in Teddington

Cricket and Hockey Clubs in Bushy Park

In the late 1800s, Bushy Park became home to Teddington Cricket Club. From this, Teddington Hockey Club started in 1871. This club helped create important rules for modern hockey, like the striking circle.

Other Sports Clubs

Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Racing Club
NPL Sports Club
Royal Canoe Club, the oldest canoe club in the world
The Skiff Club, the oldest skiff club in the world. They also do punting.
Teddington Athletic FC
Teddington Rugby Football Club
Teddington Lawn Tennis Club
Walbrook Rowing Club, also known as Teddington Rowing Club
Weirside AFC plays at Broom Road. They have a clubhouse overlooking Teddington Lock.
Park Lane Stables is a place for horse riding for people with disabilities.

Getting Around Teddington

Nearest Train Stations

Teddington
Hampton Wick
Fulwell
Strawberry Hill

Teddington railway station is served by South Western Railway trains. It's on the Kingston Loop Line. Trains go both ways to London Waterloo. One way is via Kingston upon Thames and Wimbledon every 15 minutes. The other way is via Richmond and Putney every 30 minutes. Trains also go to Shepperton every 30 minutes.

Buses

London Buses serve Teddington. You can take buses to places like Heathrow Airport, West Croydon, and Castelnau. Routes 33, 281, 285, 481, 681, R68, and SL7 go through the town center. All these buses connect Teddington to either Twickenham or Kingston upon Thames.

Teddington's Neighbors

**Neighbouring districts**
Fulwell and West Twickenham	Strawberry Hill	Twickenham and Ham
Hampton Hill		Ham and Kingston upon Thames
	Teddington

Hampton	Hampton Court, Hampton	Hampton Wick

Places to Worship in Teddington

St Mary with St Alban Church of England parish church, built around 1400. St Mary's is the original church. St Alban's, across the road, is now the Landmark Arts Centre.
Teddington Baptist Church – an evangelical Baptist church.
Sacred Heart Church, Teddington – a Roman Catholic church designed by John Kelly, opened in 1893.
St Mark's, Teddington – Church of England.
Teddington Methodist Church.
Christ Church, Teddington – an independent church that worships in the Church of England style.
St Peter & St Paul, Teddington – Church of England.

Famous People from Teddington

Here are some notable people who have lived in Teddington:

People Living Now

Julian Clary, a comedian, author, and actor, grew up in Teddington.
Mo Farah, an Olympic long-distance runner, has a home in Teddington. A post box was painted gold in 2012 to celebrate his Olympic gold medals.
Andrew Gilligan, a journalist, was born in Teddington.
Viv Groskop, a journalist and comedian, lives in Teddington.
Keira Knightley, a famous actress, grew up in Teddington.
Jed Mercurio, who created the TV show Line of Duty, lives in Teddington.

Historical Figures

The Dowager Queen Adelaide (1792–1849), the wife of William IV, spent her last years at Bushy House in Teddington.
Sir Noël Coward (1899–1973), a famous actor, writer, and songwriter, was born in Teddington. There's a statue of him in Teddington Library.
Dorothy Edwards (1914–1982), a children's author, was born in Teddington.
Benny Hill (1924–1992), a comedian, lived and died in Teddington.
Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours (1814–1896), lived at Bushy House.
Eugène Marais (1871–1936), a South African writer, lived in Teddington from 1898 to 1902.
Frederick North, Lord North (1732–1792), a British Prime Minister, lived at Bushy House.
Norman Selfe (1839–1911), an engineer, was born in Teddington.
John Thaxter (1927–2012), a theatre critic, lived in Teddington.

Images for kids

Sluice gates on the River Thames
St Alban's Church, now the Landmark Arts Centre
The chapel at Teddington Cemetery
Tram at Teddington in about 1905
Carnegie Library (1906), built in the Edwardian Baroque style
Lloyds Bank, Teddington
Teddington Studios
St Mary's parish church, Teddington
The north side of Bushy House, Teddington, in 2007. Its residents included Queen Adelaide, widow of William IV, and Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours
Noël Coward, 1972
Photograph by Allan Warren