Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Molesey (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Hampton Methodist Church, Molesey Heath, and Upper Lodge Water Gardens. Also, be sure to include Benn's Island in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Molesey (England).
Table of Contents
Hampton Methodist Church
Church in Hampton, England. Hampton Methodist Church is a Methodist church on Percy Road, Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in England. Since 2019, Hampton Methodist Church has been part of Hampton Mission Partnership. Hampton Mission Partnership was formed in July 2019 by Hampton Methodist Church and Hampton Baptist Church, after Hampton Baptist Church permanently closed.[1]
Molesey Heath
Nature reserve in England. Molesey Heath is a 17.8-hectare Local Nature Reserve in Molesey in Surrey. It is owned and managed by Elmbridge Borough Council.
This site was formerly a gravel pit and then a landfill site. It has been colonised naturally by rough grassland and scrub. Fauna include burrowing bees, wasps and diverse bird species such as little ringed plovers and redshanks.
There is access from Approach Road. The heath can also be accessed on foot via the Walton and Weybridge Footpath and Bridleway from Lower Green, Esher.[2]
Upper Lodge Water Gardens
The Upper Lodge Water Gardens are a partially restored complex of early eighteenth century water gardens with garden canals in Bushy Park, near London. Originally built for Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax between 1709 and 1715 when he was ranger of Bushy Park and lived in Upper Lodge, they fell into disuse over subsequent centuries, but part of the complex was restored in the early 21st century and opened to the public in 2009.
The complex originally ran for 960 metres across the park from the entry point of the Longford River (now the Pantile bridge) in the Hampton Hill end of Bushy Park to what is now the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington.
The two ends of the complex remain in Bushy Park as part of the route of the Longford river and the canal plantation. the central sections were modified or even filled in, and the Upper Lodge they were built for was rebuilt in 1840. The Octagonal Upper pond and, the lower pond and the cascade that separate them were restored and are now open to the public. Another restored pond lies in the private gardens of Upper Lodge.
The partial restoration was part of a major £7,200,000 refurbishment of Bushy Park, of which about 60% came from the Heritage Lottery Fund.[3]
Benn's Island
Island in the United Kingdom. Benn's Island, previously named Church Eyot, Kember's Eyot and sometimes referred to as Benn's Ait, is a private 0.1-acre ait on the River Thames south-west of London. It is among a string of narrow islands above Molesey Lock and due to its clubhouse and size — the second-smallest named island on the Thames — it has deep foundation pilings to raise the building more than 1 m above the water line.[4]
Knight and Bessborough Reservoirs
Knight and Bessborough Reservoirs is a 63.4-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey. It is part of South West London Waterbodies Ramsar site and Special Protection Area
Knight Reservoir and Bessborough Reservoir support many wildfowl, including nationally important numbers of wintering shovelers and substantial populations of gadwalls, cormorants and goldeneyes.
The site is private land with no public access.[5]