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020 8722 6373 facebook.com/rttimes
rttimes.co.uk
news
Friday, August 28, 2015
4
Twickenham might be
known around the world as
the home of England rugby
union, but some hope to fol-
low in the footsteps of nearby
Staines and change its name.
Residents in the riverside
town have looked to
Spelthorne for inspiration
after its council successfully
added “upon Thames” to Ali
G’s home town in 2012 in an
attempt to revamp its image.
Now a group of people in
Twickenham are looking to
do the same and have set up a
campaign in a bid to rename
the town “Twickenham-on-
Thames”.
Robin Davis, a music lawyer
who has livedinTwickenham
for 25 years, has created a pe-
tition calling on Richmond
Council to explore the possi-
bility of the name change.
Mr Davis, 63, of Riverdale
Gardens, said: “I have long
advocated major changes to
the centre of Twickenham
near the site of the old swim-
ming pool.
“I believe the whole of one
side of the main road should
be opened up and a piazza
constructed that would lead
down to the river.
“The local authority should
be applauded for having put
in place plans to have a
square and better access to
the riverat the top of Water
Lane, but it lacks ambition.
“The plans should provide
for a much more comprehen-
sive redevelopment in this
area.
“A name change to Twick-
enham-on-Thames, while ad-
mittedly being cosmetic,
would be a welcome step to-
wards publicising the fact
that Twickenham is on the
river.
“I believe locals would wel-
come it and I suspect busi-
nesses would too. Anecdotal
evidence suggests that since
Staines was renamed Staines-
upon-Thames, businesses
there have greatly benefited.”
Mr Davis added: “If Staines
can do it then I am sure
Twickenham can.”
To view the petition visit
tinyurl.com/twickonthames.
What happens when a town
changes its name? The Rich-
mond and Twickenham
Times spoke to Councillor
Colin Davis, the Spelhorne
Borough cabinet member
who changed Staines' image
foreverby updating its
moniker.
He said that since its 2012
rebirth the town has stopped
being so closely associated
with being the birth place of
Ali G and has grown into what
the Evening Standard called
the most sought after place to
live outside of London.
Coun Davis said: “There
have been a fewtowns seek-
ing to change their name
post Staines-upon-Thames.
“The most well known
being Abbingdon, which had
actually dropped its ‘on
Thames’ name about 100
years ago. Ireckon, but am
not sure, that they dropped it
because of the smell.
“Now that rivers are clean-
er, lo and behold, two years
after we did, I got a call from
BBC Oxford asking about
towns changing their names.
“Changing a name is all
down to Her Majesty’s Land
Registry.
“If you sell your house it is
the one that decides how it
will be described. It decides
what places are called.
“It told us that in order to
change a name a properly
promulgated motion passed
by the full council was
required.”
“For us, changing the name
has been a massive success.
“The most popular event in
the calendar is Staines-upon-
Thames Day.
“The Evening Standard
has Staines-upon-Thames as
the number one destination
for people moving out of
London.
“The name change really
has impacted people’s per-
ception of the town. It has
made people realise its close
ties to the river.”
Benefits of Staines’altered image
Bid to change town name
River: Lovely views
Turing House opinions
Continued from front page
What do the people of
Whitton think about Turing
House School’s permanent
home? SEYI OBAYE-DALEY
and MADDI HOWELL
investigate.
Music teacher John Park will be
doing a presentation at Turing
House in a couple of weeks and
said: “I do have some concerns as
there is already a Twickenham
Academy there, obviously there’s
going to be increased traffic while
the building is going on.
“But the fact that only 20 per cent
of children from Whitton will be eli-
gible to go to Turing House and it’s
forTeddington kids kind of screws
up my morals a little bit. Those are
all the concerns I have. If they ad-
dress that situation then fine, we do
need quality schools in the area.
“They should put the school in
Imperial College where they initially
proposed it, but they want to have
their cake and eat it in Teddington.”
Derek Clarke, retired, said:
“There are enough problems
there now with traffic. It’s just
overloaded, we’ve lived in Con-
stance Road since 1961 and we
can’t find a parking space any-
more. We’vegot traffic problems
all the time.”
Carol Wiggins, 60, lives in
Whitton’s Rodney Road and
said: “We’ve only gotTwickenham
Academy in the area at the mo-
ment. There are worse things that
could come to the town than a
new school. When it comes to ad-
missions though, it should be first
come, first served.”
Sam Chambers
sam.chambers
@london.newsquest.co.uk

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