Molesey

Molesey /ˈmoʊl.ziː/ is a suburban district comprising two large villages, East Molesey and West Molesey, on the edge of Greater London. Molesey is located on the southern bank of the River Thames in the northeast of the borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, with the post town of East Molesey extending north across the Thames into the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Molesey lies between 11.7 and 13.5 miles from Charing Cross and forms part of the capital's contiguous suburbs within the Greater London Urban Area. It has the London dialling code (020), and was from 1839 until 2000 under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police. East and West Molesey share a high street, and there is a second retail and restaurant-lined street (Bridge Road) close to Hampton Court Palace in the eastern part of the district, which is also home to Hampton Court railway station in Transport for London's Zone 6. Molesey Hurst or Hurst Park is a large park by the River Thames in the north of the area, and is home to East Molesey Cricket Club. The Hampton Ferry (London) runs from here to Hampton on the Middlesex bank, from where it is a short walk to the central area of Hampton. There is believed to be a significant settled traveller population in West Molesey and adjacent Hersham which featured in the TV series "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding". Elmbridge as a whole has also had the equal largest number of illegal traveller sites in Surrey in recent years and the leader of the Elmbridge Council has referred to this being a particular problem in Molesey in extensive press coverage of the issue which has become contentious in recent times. In 2013 nearly 80 people signed a petition to Elmbridge Council concerning a traveller camp on land adjacent to Molesham Way while in 2015 the Traveller Movement, a traveller charity, complained about Elmbridge Council to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. West Molesey has some of the most deprived wards in Surrey.