Hampton Square

Hampton Square stood on a three-acre plot of ground which was originally market gardens; it is now occupied by the Sheen Lane Centre. In 1837 the land was owned by the Penley family. Richard Penley was a market gardener who had owned land in Mortlake since the 18th century. Richard died in 1818 leaving a wife and seven daughters who inherited his land. James Hampton, who owned and worked large areas of market gardens in Mortlake, also worked the Hampton Square Penley land as a market garden. James married one of Richard Penley's daughters. He died in 1853 and his estate was broken up and sold in plots. Richard Penley's land became available, and Hampton Square was built on it.

Hampton Square was reached by a narrow road off Sheen Lane; on one corner stood the Wheatsheaf pub and on the other a greengrocer. It consisted of William Street on the north side, Queen's Place on the south and Gloucester Place to the east, with the Model Cottages running along its outer west boundary.

The 58 terrace houses in Hampton Square were modest, brick-built homes constructed in the mid-19th century with working class families in mind. They each had a small fenced front garden. Houses had their own outside toilets; there were coal fires as well as gas for heat and lighting, and cold water was heated in coppers for family bath time. Illness was commonplace and there was little medication to ease or cure ailments. Money for fuel, rent and food was short, and life would have been hard. But the community of Hampton Square was known to be close and supportive. And they celebrated events such as coronations with great enthusiasm as contemporary photographs show.

There was much poverty and overcrowding in Hampton Square. In 1879, for example, at least 18 of the residents were in receipt of parish relief. A soup kitchen was set up in 1895, open for one hour from noon on Wednesdays. However, an official announcement read: "the soup will be sold at 1d. per quart and everyone will be expected to pay. In order to ascertain that Mortlake parishioners only get the soup, tickets may be had from the Mortlake clergy of all denominations". In 1898 Cotsford's fried fish shop was the only shop listed in Kelly's directory that was trading in the Square. By 1916, however, there were two general stores as well as Ernest Lewin, firewood dealer, and the still-trading Cotsfords fried fish shop. For a recollection of life Hampton Square in the early years of the 20th century see Mrs Beardsall's letter to the Herald.

The 1911 Census records multiple occupancy in most of the houses with two families sharing the four rooms. There were often 10 or 12 persons per dwelling. The vast majority of men were in work at this time – mainly in market gardening, although Thomas Allcock at No.38 was a street organ player and Mr Cuthbert at No.40 was a plasterer. The women who were earning a living were almost universally charwomen or laundresses. Mrs Adelaide Barton, a widow living at No.13, was a charwoman living with her five children and two visitors on Census night.

By the 1921 Census, the overcrowding in Hampton Square remained high. Again, most men were employed but a greater number were now working in Watney's brewery. Men working in other trades included welders and mantle makers.

The Wheatsheaf stood on Sheen Lane, opposite Nelson Terrace, and it marked the entrance to Hampton Square. The Wheatsheaf was a handsome building. It was leased by James Hampton of Shepherds Bush to William Lipscombe in September 1854. The pub was a popular venue for the residents of Hampton Square. On most weekends the bars would spill over onto the pavements and on Saturday evenings the Salvation Army band would unsuccessfully compete with the noise and commotion coming from the overcrowded pub. The Wheatsheaf saw many landladies and landlords come and go over the decades – Harold Johnson was the last landlord and oversaw its closure in July 1962. The Borough of Barnes purchased the freehold of the Wheatsheaf almost immediately and the building was demolished in 1963.

In the 1930s, the houses in Hampton Square were regarded as unsuitable for habitation and the first of the residents was rehoused in May 1938. Most residents were moved into the newly-built Chertsey Court. By the start of the Second World War, all the 316 residents of Hampton Square had moved away. One of the last buildings to be demolished was the Mission Hall which had been constructed out of two of the cottages. Once all the houses had been demolished the combustible remains were burned on site and the remaining rubble was buried in Palewell Fields. During the Second World War the derelict Square was used for Civil Defence and Fire Auxiliary Services training exercises. In 1951 a temporary pre-fabricated building was constructed which housed a library. The present Sheen Lane Centre complex was built on the Hampton Square site during the 1970s. This includes the current East Sheen library, the Sheen Lane Centre and the Sheen Medical Centre, and is now a popular resource for the local community.