| Molesey | |
|---|---|
 Riverbank | |
  Molesey Location withinSurrey | |
| Area | 5.87 km2 (2.27 sq mi) |
| Population | 19,088 (2011 census)[1] |
| • Density | 3,252/km2 (8,420/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ145675 |
| • Charing Cross | 12 mi (19 km) NE |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town |
|
| Postcode district | KT8 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°24′04″N0°21′47″W / 51.401°N 0.363°W /51.401; -0.363 | |
Molesey is a suburban district comprising two large villages,East Molesey andWest Molesey, inthe Borough of Elmbridge,Surrey, England. Molesey is within theGreater London Built-up Area,[2] and is situated on the south bank of theRiver Thames.
East and West Molesey share a high street and there is a second retail restaurant-lined street (Bridge Road) close toHampton Court Palace in the eastern part of the district, which is also home toHampton Court railway station inTransport for London's Zone 6. Molesey Hurst or Hurst Park is a large park by the River Thames in the north of the area, and is home toEast Molesey Cricket Club. TheHampton Ferry runs from here to Hampton on the Middlesex bank, from where it is a short walk to the central area ofHampton.
Molesey is divided into threewards: Molesey South, East and North. The majority of Molesey's detached properties are in the east, which also contains the highest proportion of apartments of the three wards.
The earliest documentary evidence of a settlement in Molesey appears in a 7th-century charter, shortly afterErkenwald foundedChertsey Abbey in AD 666. He secured fromFrithwald, sub-king of Surrey, a charter endowing the abbey with much of the surrounding land, includingMuleseg.Etymologists suggest that the town's name is derived from the personal nameMul (pronounced Mule) compounded with theOld English wordeg, meaning an island or river meadow – thus Mul's Island. Therefore, Molesey is not, as commonly believed, named after theRiver Mole that runs through it. TheprefixesEast andWest did not appear until about the year 1200, before which there was only one parish centred around what is now known as East Molesey.[3] Molesey lay within theSaxon administrative district ofElmbridgehundred.
East Molesey appears in theDomesday Book of 1066 asMoleshire. It was held partly by John fromRichard Fitz Gilbert and partly by Roger d'Abernon. Its Domesday assets were: 2hides and 3virgates. It had 7ploughs, 2oxen, and 32 acres (13 ha) ofmeadow andwoodland worth 10hogs. It rendered £6 15s 0d. West Molesey was held by Odard Balistarius. Its Domesday assets were: 1 hide, 1 church, and 5ploughs. It rendered £2.50.[4]
Along with neighbouringThames Ditton, East Molesey formed a part of the ancientparish of Kingston upon Thames, based at the historicAll Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames. From 1933, the Urban District of East and West Molesey became part of theEsher Urban District, which was originally recommended by theRoyal Commission on Local Government in Greater London (the Herbert Commission) for inclusion within the new ceremonial county ofGreater London. In 1974, the district eventually merged with its neighbour to the west, Walton and Weybridge Urban District, to form the newborough of Elmbridge within Surrey.[5]
Molesey was one of the many villages and towns along the Thames Valley affected by flooding in 1968; specifically here the flooding of theRiver Mole. Some barriers and overflow fields have been created since then by the Environment Agency and its precursors.[6]
The boundary between East and West Molesey uses a roughly due north–south compass axis, based on a point of division by the Molesey Stone on the grass outside Molesey Library on Walton Road, though the Stone has been moved from its original position and the actual boundary between East and West Molesey has become somewhat blurred and disputed.
On 8 June 1913, the grandstand at the formerHurst Park Racecourse in Molesey was virtually destroyed after anarson attack bysuffragettesKitty Marion andClara Giveen. The attack was said to be in revenge for the death ofEmily Davison at theEpsom Derby earlier that month.[7] The pair were arrested the following day and imprisoned for three years, although both were released early after going onhunger strike.[8]
Molesey is directly south of the River Thames, with several large reservoirs bordering the town to the west and south that provide water within theLondon Basin. Some of these are now disused and are being converted into nature reserves. To the west lieBessborough Reservoir andKnight Reservoir, to the north-westMolesey Reservoirs, to the southIsland Barn Reservoir, and to the south-westQueen Elizabeth II Reservoir. There are walks besideMetropolitan green belt fields to the south along the river Mole toEsher, and to the west along the Thames Path toWalton-on-Thames.
Hampton Court Palace lies immediately north-east of East Molesey, acrossHampton Court Bridge.
The Palace, together with the southern part ofBushy Park and most ofHampton Court Park are in thepost town of East Molesey.
Molesey Lock is just aboveHampton Court Bridge, downstream ofSunbury Lock and upstream ofTeddington Lock.Cigarette Island Park is just below the bridge, occupying the eastern extremity of the town.
Hurst Park is on the south bank of the Thames, from where there is a dailyferry service toHampton on the Middlesex bank. It was home to a horse racing course from 1890 to 1962.[9]
The residential streets of East Molesey run directly intoWeston Green and the northernmost stretches of residentialEsher to the south, andThames Ditton to the east and south-east. Together with the reservoirs, Green Belt land to the west and south-west divides West Molesey fromWalton on Thames.
The central shopping area ofKingston upon Thames lies 1.7 miles (2.7 km) east of Bridge Road in East Molesey, while centralWalton on Thames lies 2.3 miles (3.7 km) to the west-southwest of West Molesey High Street.
Molesey itself has some interesting landmarks, including three listed Church of England churches andThe Bell, apublic house, formerly known as "The Crooked House", built in the mid-15th century. Other landmarks include The Jubilee Fountain in Bridge Road. There are three designated Conservation Areas in East Molesey.[10][11]
Other historic buildings include theGrade II-listed Matham Manor, an altered 15th-century house with timber frames and red brick; and a 16th-century house, Quillets Royal, with an 18th-century extension (The Manor House). Both buildings lie near The Bell in Bell Road/Matham Road.[12]
In April 2017, 15th-century St Peter's Church on Walton Road, said to be the oldest building in Molesey, had lead stolen from the roof and historic masonry damaged in a nighttime theft. Thieves used scaffolding put up to install an antenna approved by Elmbridge Council. Press reports alleged that police had been alerted to the crime by a local resident but that they had declined to attend.[13]
Molesey has threeScout groups which all belong to Esher District. 1st Molesey is aRoyal Navy-recognisedSea Scout group whilst 2nd and 3rd Molesey are both Land Scout Groups. All groups have sections from Beavers right through to Explorers. The groups take part in a wide variety of activities and events throughout the year at various locations.
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Molesey'sconservation area is bordered to the south by a corollary channel of theRiver Mole, known as theRiver Ember, where successive environment authorities have implemented capacity-adding flood defences following a widespread and costly flood in 1968. Following further extensive flooding along the Thames in 2014, the Environment Agency is to carry out more large scale 'capacity building' work involving the construction of nine miles (14 km) of new channels in areas upstream of Molesey as part of a flood relief project known as the River Thames Scheme (RTS) running between 2018 and 2027.
Before 1968, the whole area including expensive areas such as East Molesey flooded badly on a regular basis as they are in part located on the former flood plains of the Thames and the Mole. Even today localised flooding and standing water can be quite common in times of heavy rain as the area is very low lying and flat. Molesey can be the subject of flood warnings that affect the Thames Valley.
Molesey Lock is the third lock (and weir) on the River Thames, afterRichmond andTeddington locks,[14] and marks the furthest point upstream that the influence of the tides on the Thames (regulated by theThames Barrier atWoolwich) may be registered. The lock is located within 100 metres (330 ft) ofHampton Court Bridge, designed by architect SirEdwin Lutyens.
In the West Molesey area, some houses are the result of over-optimistic development in the 1930s by developer Donald Gordon Howard, who eventually went bankrupt trying to sell houses at exceptionally low prices – at £395 some of the cheapest in the London area – while implying a misleading proximity to Hampton Court. The attraction was cheap, low-lying land near the London reservoirs and quite remote from transport links, especially the railway. Speculative land dealing and building go back a long way in the area. Much of East Molesey resulted from large scale land speculation in the 1850s by Francis Jackson Kent who saw an opportunity to make a fortune when the railway arrived at Hampton Court in 1849, quickly buying up land nearby and selling it on to wealthy individuals or developers who rapidly built on low lying former meadows that had always been flood prone. They naturally remained so until the 1960s when the nearby River Mole was re channelled after a hugely expensive flood. Pictures of the East Molesey area and Hampton Court station environs (on the opposite bank to the Palace) in flood conditions recur in 19th and 20th centuries.
Molesey and adjacent areas of Esher, Walton and Hersham also have a significant amount of former council housing constructed by the predecessors to Elmbridge Council. There are also areas of post-war system built housing, thought[by whom?] to be of the concrete sectional type, built at the time of housing shortage in the years after World War 2 including on the West Molesey/East Molesey border. It was at one time home to the well-known company Roberts Radio who built a factory there in 1962.
The railway station in East Molesey isHampton Court, inTransport for London'sZone 6. This is the terminus of a stopping commuter service toLondon Waterloo that takes around thirty-five minutes. Principal stops areSurbiton,Wimbledon andClapham Junction. Services are operated bySouth Western Railway.[15]
During theHampton Court Garden Festival, extra trains run to and from London.
Four bus routes serve the district:[16][17]
| Output area | Detached | Semi-detached | Terraced | Flats and apartments | Caravans/temporary/mobile homes | Shared between households[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East (ward) | 909 | 677 | 334 | 753 | 1 | 11 |
| North (ward) | 454 | 879 | 818 | 358 | 0 | 0 |
| South (ward) | 247 | 1,113 | 867 | 595 | 0 | 2 |
The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.
| Output area | Population | Households | % Owned outright | % Owned with a loan | hectares[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East (ward) | 6,337 | 2,685 | 38 | 40 | 298 |
| North (ward) | 6,008 | 2,509 | 37 | 41 | 164 |
| South (ward) | 6,743 | 2,824 | 27 | 41 | 125 |
The proportion of households in the settlement who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1 per cent. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5 per cent. The remaining segment is made up of rented dwellings (plus a negligible per cent of households living rent-free).
There is a locally moored boat, theWest Molesey houseboat, which is moored on the river Thames.
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Surrey Police statistics for reported crime in the West Molesey area for the period October 2021 to September 2022 recorded violence and sexual crime as the biggest single category with 328 instances, with anti-social behaviour having 180 instances and criminal damage and arson ranked third with 74. 31 burglaries were recorded, with 42 vehicle crimes.[20]
There were two murders in West Molesey in 2016–2017. A woman was found murdered with a machete or axe in the front garden of her house on Walton Road, Molesey in March 2016, resulting in extensive national publicity.[21] Police launched a second local murder investigation on 7 December 2017 when a woman reported as previously deliberately run down in the small hours of the morning in a car park on land between Hurst Road, Molesham Way and Walton Road, died in hospital.[22]
Molesey was once the bare-knuckleboxing centre of England,[23] and had a famoushorse-racing track stretching the length of theRiver Thames from where Hurst Park School now stands, down toMolesey Lock. The course closed in 1962,[9] and much of it was built on in the 1960s; the Hurst Park Estate has a mixture of three and two-storey homes and a block of flats overlooking the river. Part of the open space that was part of the racetrack is now a riverside park. There is a wide grass expanse, a playground and open access to the Thames; features here include the Hampton Ferry and Molesey Regatta, a major event in the sport of rowing with catering and evening outdoor music. There are some large iron gates in the access road to Hurst Park called Graburn Way which were built so that horse races then started just east of the road and enabled the course to have a 'straight mile'.
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'Moulsey Hurst' is a very early site of cricket (from 1731) and that tradition is continued to this day byEast Molesey Cricket Club, which is located alongside the South bank of the Thames, one-half mile (0.80 km) fromHampton Court Palace. It was founded in 1871.
The club's first XI play in Surrey Championship Premier Division and there are four other senior Saturday league sides and two u21 Sunday league side, regularly competing against other Surrey clubs. The first recordedLeg Before Wicket (LBW) dismissal in first class cricket is said to have been given in a game between an XI of Surrey and a XIII of England at this site in 1795. Prior to this date there had been several attempts to formulate a law that would stop batsmen simply obstructing their wicket with their leg pads to prevent being bowled. The LBW law has been revised several times since then.
Molesey Boat Club (established 1866) is home to some Olympic and World Championship medallists and domestic success at all ages, particularly in its adult crews. The rowing club also competes in the Amateur Molesey Regatta held annually in Hurst Park[24]
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Molesey F.C. is a non-league football team based in West Molesey. The club is currently a member of theIsthmian League and play at the Herds Renault Stadium, Walton Road. The original football club was established by formerCorinthian player James Jenkinson Knox in Autumn 1892 under the name Hampton Court and East Molesey Association Football Club. Their first match was played on 24 September 1892 against Barnes, winning 14–5. In 1946 Molesey United and West Molesey Old Boys merged to form Molesey Football Club. The new club joined the Surrey Intermediate League and won the league in their first season.
Metropolitan Police F.C. is a non-league football team based in East Molesey and are based at the Imber Court Sports Ground.
AFC Molesey is a former non-league football team that was also based in West Molesey, a member of theSurrey County Intermediate League (Western) Division One and played at the West Molesey Recreation Ground, Walton Road. Up to the date that the club folded, the club had seen its popularity grown significantly following its winning several honours including the Lower Junior County Cup in the 2007/08 season and successful consecutive league promotions.
Molesey Juniors F.C. is a community youth football organisation based at the Wilderness Playing Fields, East Molesey
Just beyond the gates of Hurst Park used to be the home of the open air Upper Deck swimming pool, the nearest open air pool now being across the ferry up Hampton High Street inHampton. An indoor pool was built by the council nearby as a replacement. Flats are now built on the site of the outdoor pool. The entire riverside recreational area was previously referred to asMoulsey Hurst.
Hurst swimming pool is in Dunstall Way in the north of Molesey.
In 2012,Bradley Wiggins won the Olympic Time Trial event. The course passed through East and West Molesey and Hurst Park, and the event finish was at Hampton Court Palace, in the post town of East Molesey.
The Surrey Classic Cycle race previously passed East and West Molesey and Hurst Park yearly.
National Cycle Network route #4 passes along the River Thames towpath through Molesey.
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