Kempton Park, Surrey
Encyclopedia
Kempton Park is a locality in the Spelthorne
district of Surrey
, which is the location of Kempton Park Racecourse
.
Kempton Park appears on the Middlesex
Domesday Map
as Chenetone. It was held by Robert, Count of Mortain. Its domesday assets were: 5 hide
s; 4 plough
s, meadow
for 5 plough
s, cattle pasture, 8 arpent
s (approximately acres) of newly planted vineyard
.
In 1897 the New River Company
established waterworks here to supply water to their facilities at Cricklewood. The company became incorporated into the Metropolitan Water Board in 1903, and the board completed the Kempton Park Reservoirs
around the racecourse. The Metropolitan Water Board Railway
was opened in 1916 to deliver coal from the riverside at Hampton
to power the pumping engines. In 1929 the Board opened a new engine house for their pumps, and this has become the Kempton Park Steam Engines
museum.
Spelthorne
Spelthorne is a local government district and borough in Surrey, England. It includes the towns of Ashford, Laleham, Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell and Sunbury...
district of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, which is the location of Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles from the city centre. The site is set in of land....
.
Kempton Park appears on the Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
Domesday Map
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Chenetone. It was held by Robert, Count of Mortain. Its domesday assets were: 5 hide
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
s; 4 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
for 5 plough
Plough
The plough or plow is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture...
s, cattle pasture, 8 arpent
Arpent
An arpent is a unit of length and a unit of area. It is a pre-metric French unit based on the Roman actus. It is used in Quebec as well as in some areas of the United States that were part of French Louisiana.-Unit of length:...
s (approximately acres) of newly planted vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
.
In 1897 the New River Company
New River (England)
The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from the River Lea and from Amwell Springs , and other springs and wells along its course....
established waterworks here to supply water to their facilities at Cricklewood. The company became incorporated into the Metropolitan Water Board in 1903, and the board completed the Kempton Park Reservoirs
Kempton Park Reservoirs
Kempton Park Reservoirs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Surrey, England. It consists of a group of reservoirs at Kempton Park between Hanworth and Sunbury on Thames. It is owned by Thames Water.-History:...
around the racecourse. The Metropolitan Water Board Railway
Metropolitan Water Board Railway
The Metropolitan Water Board Railway was a narrow gauge industrial railway built to serve the Metropolitan Water Board's pumping station at Kempton Park near London. The line was opened in 1916 and closed shortly after the Second World War.- History :...
was opened in 1916 to deliver coal from the riverside at Hampton
Hampton, London
Hampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Formerly it was in the county of Middlesex, which was formerly also its postal county. The population is about 9,500...
to power the pumping engines. In 1929 the Board opened a new engine house for their pumps, and this has become the Kempton Park Steam Engines
Kempton Park Steam Engines
The Kempton Park Steam Engines are two large triple-expansion steam engines, dating from 1926–1929, at the Kempton Park waterworks, Middlesex, London. Each engine is of a similar size to that used in RMS Titanic and rated at about 1008 hp...
museum.