Study of the development of Hampton Court.

This painting of Hampton Court Palace by Leonard Knyff was painted in about 1720 before the first Hampton Court Bridge was built. There was a ferry here and you can see this in the top left corner of the painting as well as two houses that mark the road leading to the ferry in what is now Bridge Street, East Molesey.




Hampton Court Palace by Leonard Knyff (1650-1722) – Royal Collections


1. Hampton Court Bridge qualifies as the furthest upstream Thames bridge in Greater London because its northern half is in the London Borough of Richmond-on-Thames, the boundary with Surrey running across the centre of it. Compare this print from a drawing by Caneletto of the bridge at Hampton from about 1750 to the modern aerial view.


Hampton Court Bridge – 1750 from a drawing by Canelletto



Modern aerial view


2. If you visit Hampton Court, have a look at the north-east end of where the bridge used to be, next to the Mitre Hotel, and look for the old Toll House. This is a big clue as to the position of the old bridge. The name of Bridge Road on the East Molesey side is also a clue.


3. Compare this painting to the modern aerial photo of the bridge below and list the changes


Mitre Hotel. The Tudor crenulations give a clue that this small building, used to be the Toll House for collection a toll for crossing the old Hampton Court Bridge.

Download Resources for this Lesson Plan

1. geography3.pdf