• Rail stations: Teddington, Hampton Wick, Fulwell
  
• Location: south of Strawberry Hill, north of Bushy Park, west of the Thames
  
• Borough: Richmond upon Thames (www.richmond.gov.uk)
  
• Postcode: TW11

Landmarks:
The (appropriately named) Landmark Art Centre was originally an 19th-century church designed to look like a 13th-century French Gothic cathedral. It was left incomplete due to insufficient funding but was eventually turned into the local cultural centre.

Known for:
Teddington Lock connects the non-tidal Thames with the tidal river that Londoners know and love. The lock gets all sorts of boat traffic, from houseboats to lifeboats to submarines.

Who’s there?
Teddington is a mostly residential community with a mix of varying economic backgrounds, and the general atmosphere is calm and laid-back. Many of the locals commute into London via Waterloo.

Making history:
Teddington started out as a small village known for its farms and orchards. It wasn’t developed until services at Waterloo expanded and the local station was built in 1864.

Pub quiz facts:
Monty Python’s famous fish slapping sketch was filmed on Teddington Lock. If you have to re-enact it, try not to fall in – the people who work at the lock have enough to do without pulling you out of it.

Famous faces:
Teddington’s most famous daughter nowadays is Keira Knightley, who was born and went to school in the neighbourhood. Other names of note include Julian Clary, Noel Coward and Benny Hill.

When it’s hot:
Bushy Park (www.bushy.org.uk) is London’s second largest royal park and home to deer herds descended from ones King Henry VIII hunted when he lived at Hampton Court Palace. Things to see include Chestnut Avenue and the Inigo Jones’ ‘Diana’ fountain.

When it’s not:
The Landmark Arts Centre has a year-round arts programme as well as craft, art and food fairs.