Hampton Hill
Fewer houses lost than in other parts of the Borough
In the 18th century there were only two significant buildings in the Hampton Hill area. One, Upper Lodge, had been rebuilt in 1710 and was in the north-west corner of Bushy Park. The other was an agricultural building, a windmill, built in the late 1780s. There may also have been a cottage to house the miller and some other small cottages. In essence, until the Enclosure Act of 1811, the whole of Hampton Hill was common land, subsequently parcelled up, leading to gradual development.
In comparison with other areas of the borough therefore, there are fewer “lost” houses as there were fewer older houses to begin with. The windmill which stood in what is now Windmill Road, near the junction with modern Uxbridge Road, was demolished in 1876. A nearby group of cottages, on the opposite side of the Uxbridge Road, known as Clump Cottages were believed to date from 1792 and were demolished in 1964.
In High Street there has been relatively little change in recent years at the southern end, although from 1904 onwards many properties were rebuilt further back on the same land, to accommodate double tram tracks. This was because much of the route along the High Street was initially single track with passing loops. The High Street has also lost many cottages and indeed some fine mansions, including The Hermitage, probably built before 1820 and demolished in 1964. Many of the cottages had their front gardens built over as shops and many of the larger properties such as Cicestria were replaced by parades of shops. In recent years there has been much redevelopment at the northern end of the High Street.
In St James's Road there were originally only a few very large houses that together with the church and vicarage, occupied the entire road. The old vicarage has since been replaced by a modern building and additional housing. Most of the large houses including Larkfield, Willowbank and Walton Lodge have been replaced by blocks of flats, although some still bear the original name of the property.
A number of rows of cottages in Windmill Road have been replaced by flats. Other large houses demolished, to be replaced by flats, include the Wilderness in Park Road (in 1964) and Fairlight in Uxbridge Road (in 1963).
