Shepperton Matters

By Nick Pollard  This postcard shows the watersplash at Sunbury, in the years before World War One. You may well be asking yourself where there is a watersplash in Sunbury, but the clue is in the name of Ford-bridge Road, which leads from Sunbury village towards Walton Bridge and Shepperton. The original name for the

Now there is an ‘in-tree-guing’ idea! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)  Did you know that you can get a tree planted in your garden for only £40? Considering how long this gift would last, how sustainable and how much it would keep on giving, it is definitely worth a thought.  The Spelthorne Tree Wardens do an

Bookmark Reading Charity are looking for volunteers to inspire the ‘joy of reading’ and give every child the opportunity to succeed.  How many words do you read a day? Now imagine if you couldn’t read at all. That’s what it’s like for one in four children in England who are unable to read well when they

Well, she only went and did it! Congratulations to Gina Broadhurst of Just Shutters in Walton, who has been successful in her bid to become Ms GB Classic.  She also scooped the Best Publicity award and the Best Interview award. Gina had been publi-cising her entry in advance of the gala night, by supporting two

By Brian Allen  Many of us studied the War Poets at school. Our children may be study-ing them now. Have you ever asked yourself why? War poets, as a collec-tive, have been instru-mental in capturing the essence of conflict, the human costs of warfare, and the profound emotional experiences of soldiers and civilians alike. These

By John Bottomley, Brooklands Museum motorcycle team  The Annual Veteran Car Run from London to Brighton was sometimes referred to affection-ately as ‘The Old Crocks Race’. That is far from true in every respect.  The first London to Brighton car run was held on 14th November 1896 to celebrate the re-peal of the so-called ‘Red

By Rachael Leverton  Trees – Heroes of Nature  Trees have graced our planet for over 370 million years, offering a range of benefits that render them indispensable to life as we know it. National Tree Week (25th November-3rd December) celebrates the many reasons why trees are the champions of the natural world and why we

By Nick Pollard  This lovely postcard dating from about 1910 is entitled ‘The Village – Shepperton’ and is look-ing south along the High Street from approximately opposite where the Village Hall is now. At the time, this road was called Highfield Road as it led from the original settlement by the river to the common

By John Maxen  Following my article last month about the appearance in my garden of the very rare Geometrician Moth, several enquires were received from readers wondering if a similar moth seen in their gardens was also a Geometrician. The answer (unfortunately) is no. The moth observed was the Jersey Tiger moth.  Above you will

By Monica Jones  Remember the days before the internet when families used to gather together and play games on a Saturday night? We reminisce fondly about regular inter-generational battles for supremacy in Risk, or land-owning domination in Monopoly, or just downright cheating in Scrabble!  Board games and cards are such a social thing to do.