Thames Ditton

Thames Ditton is a village in the north of the county of Surrey, England, immediately adjacent to Greater London and the River Thames. Administratively, it is part of the Borough of Elmbridge and forms its northeastern statements.

Location and population

The village is located about 20 kilometers southwest of central London between cities Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey. In addition to the River Thames to the north the rivers Mole and Ember are further limits to the west. The population was 2001 - the year of the last census - 5863rd Despite its location on the edge of the suburbs Greater London Thames Ditton kept until today its village character with numerous green areas and parks in the vicinity.

History

Thames Ditton is first mentioned in 983 AD, when King Æthelred his minister Æthelmær nine " Hides " ( Cassati =, units ') land in Thames Ditton, Surrey transferred. Another reference is found in the " Chartularium the business of Eynsham Abbey " (The cartulary of the Abbey of Eynsham Transaction); it confirms King Æthelred the Abbey Eynsham a foundation founded Æthelmærs, equipped among other things with twenty " Hides " Land in Esher, Surrey (which he had inherited from his father Æthelweard, who had received previously transferred by Bishop Beorhthelm it ) and land in Thames Ditton, Surrey.

In the Lehnsurkunde Domesday Book of 1086 Thames Ditton appears as Ditone and Ditune managed by Wadard for Odo of Bayeux. Following the Norman Conquest, the land was transferred to the monks of the Priory Merton and built a church whose office was first occupied in 1179. Mention is made of Thames Ditton in Speed's map of Surrey in the year 1611.

The village remained - isolated by marshy wetlands - until the construction of Hampton Court Palace by the statesman and cardinal Thomas Wolsey on the opposite side of the Thames in the early 16th century a meaningless settlement. After Henry VIII of England was deposed Wolsey in 1525 claimed the palace itself, Thames Ditton began to grow due to the influx of court employees and other workers. In addition, the site gained thereby meaning that developed Thames Ditton Iceland at the material crossing the Thames from Surrey to Hampton Court Palace in Middlesex.

During the 18th century highwaymen made ​​the surroundings of the place always uncertain, so that influential voices in the community - demanded organized police forces - in vain. The result was the formation of a vigilante by around 80 locals following a meeting on 26 January 1792.

1801, the population of Thames Ditton remains low: 1288 inhabitants lived in 265 buildings; 167 workers were employed in agriculture, 87 in trade, production and trade. Many residents worked in the village due to the large number of villas and manor houses in the area as domestic servants and assistants, some at Hampton Court Palace.

In the 19th century the town and grew steadily, especially with the rail link to London in 1849 by the London and South Western Railway to build the first school. The biggest change came with the spread of the neighboring London suburbs.

Wealthy as Charlotte FitzGerald -de Ros - the 21st Baroness de Ros - enabled that in 1812 the operation of a first public school for girls in Thames Ditton could be taken, some from the neighboring places Molesey and Tolworth of whom came. A first school for boys was established in Thames Ditton in 1818. Other schools followed, as the most important Esher College, a sixth form college with currently about 1500 students aged between 16 and 19 years.

The most important area for trade and industry, the Ferry Works, Thames immediate vicinity. The company Willans and Robinson had there at the end of the 19th century his seat your high-speed steam engines not only provided electricity for their own production, but also the adjacent other industrial and commercial enterprises; one of these so-called Willans engines for example, enabled the first power supply at the Vienna Opera House. In this industrial area, the foundry Burton was a resident at the beginning of the 20th century, which in their field at that time was the leader and the bronze statue of Eros on Piccadilly Circus, the Quadriga on the Wellington Arch and many other large statues poured, which is still in United Kingdom and the former colonies are located.

From 1911 to 1984 Thames Ditton was ( many years in a part of the Ferry Works) headquarters of the automobile manufacturer AC Cars Ltd.. , The temporary rise in the late 1920s to England's largest car manufacturer before it was hit hard by the global economic crisis in 1930. Numerous record runs and race wins on the neighboring Brooklands race track had made ​​the brand famous in the United Kingdom. In the 1950s and 1960s, the family experienced with the AC Ace sports car and the legendary AC Cobra, a joint development with Carroll Shelby and Ford, new economic and sporting heyday. AC Cars ended the own vehicle production in Thames Ditton with the model AC 3000ME in 1984, bringing a tradition of 73 years of automobile production, including the last 54 years ended under the leadership of Hurlock family.

From 1948 to 1968, Rola / Celestion, a manufacturer of loudspeakers, which in the 1950s in the UK had a market share of over 50 % at times, has its headquarters in part of the Ferry Works, Thames Ditton. A widespread speaker series was called Ditton. Today at this location including a large television production company and manufacturer of machinery are located.

The Milk Marketing Board, a state agency for the promotion of milk production and marketing in the UK, had from its inception in 1933 until its dissolution in 1994 headquartered in Thames Ditton; it turned a lot of jobs available, long sponsored the local cricket club and financially supported many aspects of the cultural life of the village.

1968 witnessed Thames Ditton the century flood, when the river Mole and Ember - dammed by the Thames - came for several days on the shore.

Current situation

The town center is the High Street with a mix of residential, office and commercial buildings. Politically, Thames Ditton is dominated traditionally conservative. Attractions and cultural centers are the Church of St. Nicholas, the park Giggs Hill Green and the Vera Fletcher Hall.

Due to its proximity to London and good road and rail links Thames Ditton is now a popular small, surrounded by parks and green spaces commuter town; many commute from outside of Thames Ditton, so in the vast industrial areas or Esher College. The train station of Thames Ditton is located on the railway between London Waterloo station - Hampton Court Driving time from Thames Ditton to London Waterloo is about 35 minutes ( a faster connection from Surbiton ).

The social life of Thames Dittons is heavily influenced by the numerous sports clubs, as the Cricket Club (founded in 1833), the Thames Ditton Lawn Tennis Club, Thames Ditton Squash Club ( with of frequent winning the National Club Championship as well as success at the European Championships ), and more Rugby -, soccer and hockey teams. Major sporting events are the rowing competitions Hampton Court and Dittons Regatta and was founded in 1923 Dittons Skiff and Punting Club on the Thames.

Associated with Thames Ditton people

Historical persons who lived a long time in Thames Ditton

  • Arthur Onslow (1691-1768), politician, official or dignitary
  • George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow ( 1731-1814 ), politician, Noble
  • Edward Sugden, 1st Baron St Leonards ( 1781-1875 ), lawyer, judge and politician
  • Hewett Watson (1804-1881), botanist, physician and phrenologist

Other personalities related to Thames Ditton

  • Christian de Duve ( born October 2, 1917 in Thames Ditton; † 4 May 2013), Belgian biochemist and Nobel Prize winner
  • William Hartnell ( born January 8, 1908 at St Pancras, London, † April 23, 1975, Marden, Kent ), the English theater and film actor ( "Doctor Who" ), lived for many years in Thames Ditton
  • Laurence Naismith ( born December 14, 1908 in Thames Ditton, † June 5, 1992 in Southport, Queensland, Australia), British actor
  • Douglas Reeman (* 1924 in Thames Ditton ), British author, known for Seekriegsromane (some under the pseudonym Alexander Kent)
  • Pat Moss (born 27 December 1934 in Thames Ditton, † October 14th 2008 in Tring ), British rally driver
  • Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink ( born March 27, 1972 in Paramaribo, Suriname), former Dutch football player who lived in Thames Ditton during his professional career at FC Chelsea ( 2000-2004)
  • Ronan Keating ( born March 3, 1977 in Dublin ), Irish pop singer ( Boyzone), lived at the beginning of his career in Thames Ditton
  • Keira Knightley ( born March 26, 1985 in Teddington, London), British actress, a graduate of Esher College
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