IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Beauclerk Close, FELTHAM, TW13 5DA

The church celebrates its centenary in 2009. It opened in 1909 as the Feltham Wesleyan Church, later becoming the Hanworth Road Methodist Church. In 1976 the Victoria Road United Reformed Church site was sold and the church then became the United Free Church (Methodist/United Reformed). The name Christ Church was adopted in 1981 when the former congregation of St Catherine's started to share the church. The spire peeping over the rooftop to the right is that of St Catherine's. The building is now home to the United Free Church of Feltham, as well as a meeting place for several other Christian traditions and community groups.

The Court is in Hanworth Road. The old Ordnance Survey map of 1897 shows this whole area as orchards. From an architectural viewpoint this front façade is a real dog's dinner. The central section is a very pleasing symmetrical Edwardian edifice, but the extensions on either side, although appearing contemporary with the central part, are totally out of sympathy with it and with each other. One other topical observation. At the time of the submission of this image a couple of English local authorities had just controversially announced that they were abandoning the use of the possessive apostrophe from all official use. The court is properly known as a Magistrates' Court, being the court of several magistrates, yet the title in the pediment of this original Edwardian building clearly has never had an apostrophe.

The Longford River was constructed in 1638 to take water from the River Colne. This would then supplement the water supply to Hampton Court and enable the development of the water features in the park. Here the Longford River is viewed from the High Street in the centre of Feltham as it heads towards Hanworth Park.

The Longford River is an artificial watercourse constructed in 1638 at the instigation of King Charles I to improve the water supply to Hampton Court Palace and to provide a source for the water features in the landscaped gardens. It takes off from the River Colne at Longford and runs for about 19 kilometres, before discharging into the River Thames. The white noticeboard on the right advises that "The Police have received instructions to take into custody any person found trespassing, damaging or destroying the banks or the freeboard of the River. By Order." So there... Incidentally in this context the freeboard of a watercourse is the vertical distance between the water level and the level at which the water would burst one of its banks in a flood event.

This late Victorian school started out as Feltham Public Elementary School in Hanworth Road. As it expanded it spread around the corner along Cardinal Road, hence the present-day name. Arguably its most famous old boy is Brian May of Queen.

The attractive Victorian building in Hanworth Road has been retained as part of Cardinal Road Infants School.

This imposing tower would do justice to a large parish church, but alas this is not the case here. St Catherine's Church was built in 1880 as a chapel of ease to the main church in Feltham, St Dunstan's. This tower was added in 1898. For some reason that I cannot find out (bomb damage? subsidence? lack of use? redevelopment plans?) the main body of the church was subsequently demolished, leaving the tower in isolation. The brick-built St Catherine's House was built in place of the body of the church and joined on to the tower. The tower is now referred to unkindly as the "Feltham Folly". The bus on the left is on service 490 bound for Heathrow Terminal 5.

The attractive Victorian building in Hanworth Road has been retained as part of Cardinal Road Infants School. On one side the inscription says 'PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS' and on this side it says 'SCHOOL BOARD OF FELTHAM'.