Lemon's Directory of Teddington & Hampton Wick 1891

Available as a Digital Download or CD-ROM

Unlock the secrets of your Middlesex ancestry with a fascinating snapshot of Victorian life. Lemon's Directory of Teddington & Hampton Wick 1891 is an essential resource for genealogists, local historians, and anyone looking to explore the everyday lives of their late-19th-century ancestors.

Choose your preferred format: receive instant access via Digital Download, or opt for a physical CD-ROM sent directly to your door.

Navigating the Directory: Format & Searchability

Please note that this product consists of high-resolution, scanned images of the original 1891 publication. The files are not text-searchable in their default state. However, because Lemon's thoughtfully arranged the residents and trades alphabetically, locating your ancestors is incredibly straightforward and intuitive.

Pro Tip: If you use a modern PDF reader (such as Adobe Acrobat Reader DC), the software features "OCR on the fly" capabilities. This means you can simply click the search bar and type a surname, and your modern software will read the text from the scanned images, giving you the best of both worlds—authentic historical documents with modern search convenience!

Bridging the 1891 Census Gaps

The 1891 Census was taken in early April. Directories like Lemon's were typically compiled and published later in the year. This makes it an invaluable "census substitute." If your ancestors moved house between census night and the winter of 1891, or if the 1891 census pages for your specific street are damaged, illegible, or missing (a common frustration for UK genealogists), this directory perfectly fills in those chronological and geographical gaps.

What's Inside: Section Breakdown

This beautifully preserved directory is divided into highly useful sections:

• Alphabetical Directory of Private Residents: The core of the book, listing the head of the household, their occupation, and their exact street address.
• Commercial & Trades Directory: Find out what your ancestors did for a living. Businesses are listed alphabetically by trade (from bakers and blacksmiths to dressmakers and drapers).
• Street Directory: A house-by-house walkthrough of the main thoroughfares of Teddington and Hampton Wick.
• Official & Institutional Directory: Details of local council members, magistrates, police, churches, schools, and hospitals—perfect for adding social context to your family tree.

A Glimpse into 1891: Famous Faces & Local Facts

Teddington and Hampton Wick in 1891 were thriving riverside communities, balancing agricultural roots with rapid suburban expansion due to the railway.

• Famous Residents: In 1891, the area was home to highly distinguished figures. Keep an eye out for Sir William Bowman, 1st Baronet—one of the most famous ophthalmic surgeons of the 19th century, who lived in Teddington until his death in 1892. You will also find entries for Sir John Bennett, the prominent London watchmaker, clockmaker, and former Lord Mayor of London, who had a sprawling residence in Teddington.
• Sporting Pioneers: Teddington was the absolute epicenter of one of the world's most popular sports. The Teddington Hockey Club, founded in 1871, was responsible for revolutionizing the game by introducing the "striking circle"—the foundation of modern field hockey. By 1891, the club was drawing sporting enthusiasts from across London.
• Industry & Economy: While nearby Hampton Court provided aristocratic flair, the local economy in 1891 was driven by the booming nursery trade (Teddington was famous for its greenhouses and floral estates), the gas works, and the Metropolitan Water Board. Over in Hampton Wick, the Thames boat-building and trading industries were still major local employers.
• Arts & Culture: Though not a resident in 1891, the area had already captured the hearts of the Impressionists. Painter Alfred Sisley had painted the riverside scenes of Hampton Wick and Teddington Lock in the 1870s, cementing the area's reputation as a haven for artists and musicians escaping the smog of central London. (Decades later, the area would become the birthplace of legendary musician and actor Noel Coward).

Important Disclaimer Regarding Maps

Please Note: Victorian directory publishers were notoriously inconsistent when it came to including maps. Some original volumes of Lemon's 1891 directory included a pull-out map, while others did not, and over the last 130 years, many maps were removed or lost before these books were archived. Therefore, a map is not guaranteed to be present in this scan. However, if the original map is intact in our source copy, it has been included as a fantastic bonus!

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