Teddington Lock. The "boat village"

[Outinthedinghy]

I lived in a house by the river in Hampton Wick when I was a lad and I used to make regular excursions down to Teddington and back. There were never any boats there in the old days, well maybe one well known river character but not the village that is there now.

They used to be nice peaceful moorings opposite Lensbury and the lock keeper from Teddington doesn't collect so it was a free one too. No space there now by the look of it.

Will this ever change or is it effectively a long term mooring now?

 

[teddington_lock]

Can't really enter into a discussion on this.

Sorry.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Fair enough. I've heard through the grapevine that legal proceedings may be in process, which would be a Good Thing in my opinion.

 

[Richard Shead]

Its a mess

I lived in a house by the river in Hampton Wick when I was a lad and I used to make regular excursions down to Teddington and back. There were never any boats there in the old days, well maybe one well known river character but not the village that is there now.

They used to be nice peaceful moorings opposite Lensbury and the lock keeper from Teddington doesn't collect so it was a free one too. No space there now by the look of it.

Will this ever change or is it effectively a long term mooring now?

They look a mess, there dogs ship all over the tow path and they leave their rubbish all over the tow path. I have no issue with folk wanting to live on their boats (I would if I could) but these guys do not respect their surroundings.

 

[TrueBlue]

They look a mess, there dogs ship all over the tow path and they leave their rubbish all over the tow path. I have no issue with folk wanting to live on their boats (I would if I could) but these guys do not respect their surroundings.

I just can't get my head around these groups of folks - and they are not limited to those on boats. On land I think they are termed as new age travellers.

There are thousands of people who have no respect for society at large, or authority and want to be undisturbed to do what the want in the way they want to.

Fair enough our British society can come with it.

What bothers me is that some disrespec' everything, I suppose making a statement by fouling up their immediate environment. It can't be very pleasant for them, and heaven knows, surely - with all the litter baskets and rubbish points provided by councils and the EA - couldn't an effort be made to dump the rubbish in them. The same applies to dog poo.

There are several groups up and down the River who live aboard in what "we" would call reduced circumstances, but their belongings are kept tidily on their boats and they make an effort to clean up after them when they move on.

I suppose if you're not happy with life, you're don't care about your environment either.

I feel sad and powerless.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

The amber nectar.

 

[teddington_lock]

I must say that the 'village' does a 'rubbish run' in one of their dories twice a week to our skips at the lock.

To be fair to them , they are pretty good at dumping household rubbish. What the towpath is like near them , i don't know , i haven't been up there recently.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

apparently they've got eviction notices.

I wonder where they will go?

 

[Richard Shead]

Easy....

apparently they've got eviction notices.

I wonder where they will go?

Kingston......

I am running past them tomorrow I shall have a look....but I have to say they seem to be no harm of late and dont leave a mess

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Kingston......

I am running past them tomorrow I shall have a look....but I have to say they seem to be no harm of late and dont leave a mess

Five gets you four, Kingston means Rave's Ait?

 

[Richard Shead]

Well

Five gets you four, Kingston means Rave's Ait?

I passed them and again they were all moored up (all facing upstream unlike the others in the cut) all very tidy and they were all enjoying a drink on the bank whilst fishing, again with no rubbish (or dogs) in sight. I hate to say it but I was a tiny bit envious!

Couple of narrow boats further up (opposite Trowolock) in a bit more of a state BUT all their boat rubbish was neatly laid on a piece of Marine Ply by the side of the boat.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

I chatted to one of the itinerants while doing a pumpout at Molesey 2 weeks ago. As nice a group as you could hope to meet. Their boat rubbish was being carried, neatly bagged up, to the rubbish point.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I know there is another thread about it but can anyone tell me if I will be allowed to stop overnight on the concrete edge just above the end of the lock lay by? When we go up the River in August? Its been squatted for ages but apparently this has been "dealt with" by LBRUT.

Are the boats in fact still there

Is it now a no-go area for everyone even people on V15 licenses?

 

[oldgit]

I just can't get my head around these groups of folks - and they are not limited to those on boats. On land I think they are termed as new age travellers.


Fair enough our British society can come with it.

What bothers me is that some disrespec' everything, I suppose making a statement by fouling up their immediate environment.

I suppose if you're not happy with life, you're don't care about your environment either.

I feel sad and powerless.

Driving around the south east in general suggests that this attitude is not confined to certain members of the boating community but is endemic among those who would look down on livaboards and others.
The disgusting amounts of rubbish visible along road verges and especially motorway roundabouts is pretty depressing,it features mainly water /soft drink bottles and McDonalds and other fast food wrappers.

 

[boatone]

I know there is another thread about it but can anyone tell me if I will be allowed to stop overnight on the concrete edge just above the end of the lock lay by?

To the best of my knowledge the bankside area you are talking about has never been a recognised mooring area and Richmond are now saying it definitely is not!

Why not stop on the EA moorings in the lay by? Sure you have to pay an overnight fee but they are great moorings and we stay there quite often.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Yes I have stopped on the layby quite often and never actually been charged by the lock keeper but I was interested to know if the new bye law had made -anyone- a criminal even if they only stop for 24hrs per year ? This seems a bit dodgy. I have also stopped at the £100 moorings at Chertsey (for lunch) and not been fined

I suppose one can casually moor and probably get away with it. Or will LBRUT put similar signs to the one at Chertsey which is fairly threatening and did seem to result in no boats moored there..

An interesting precedent anyway, I can see other councils copying.

I know the bit upstream of teddington lay by was not a 'mooring' but it was (a while ago now) a spot where one could casually moor for a day or 2.

Times change I guess..

 

[teddington_lock]

Yep , a certain element of society spoiled it for everyone else.

 

[Actionmat]

They certainly did, but the RBRuT laid the boot in when they made brought in the 1hr by-law. Less than 24 hours is an insult to the majority of river users.
As much as I enjoy mooring at the lock, I preferred to be upstream away from the noise of the weir and the lights. The family really enjoyed sitting on the boat on a summer evening while the bats flew around us and I was looking forward to the odd quiet night once the pikeys had gone. Not anymore. Their legacy of selfishness lives on.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

If they think they can enforce it I don't understand why it would be an hour and not 24 hours. It is indeed an insult

Another spot I used to stop at was the old scout slipway by the waterworks a few hundred yards up from Port Hampton Island. Think that's Elmbridge. Been full for a while now but I remember when an gin palace club used to moor there sometimes.
I heard that Shanly had bought the island (port Hampton) and that this area was going to change in a big way over the next few years once planning has been obtained for housing and a wider bridge. This may of course be part of the motivation for the "cleansing" and attempts to clear the floating sheds.

It certainly isn't being done to help people out boating because everyone is being banned from mooring on banks previously (10 years ago) freely available for a weekend stop or whatever.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

The mooring at Chertsey above Rye Peck was a very handy spot to stop. Its seriously dodgy that they have completely banned people. If this happens at every non ea site then there will be an extreme shortage of overnight moorings about. Will the lawn at Shepperton need closing to boats as well ??