Peg Woffington cottage celebrates 250 years
The Teddington Society helped mark the 250 year anniversary of Peg Woffington Cottage with a celebratory coffee, birthday cake and champagne morning party.
Peg Woffington was a popular actress who was romantically linked with another local famous actor David Garrick who lived in Hampton Hill. Their plans to marry never materialised and in 1744 she moved to Teddington.
The cottages were almshouses built in the 1750’s and it is thought that Peg gave these to the poor of the parish. She is buried in nearby St Mary’s Parish Church.
Photos courtesy of Duncan Shuttleworth (Teddington Society).
My mother was cook at this restaurant in 49/50. I was nine or ten. I used to run errands for the kitchen. I still have a scar in the crook of my arm from carrying an extra heavy load one Saturday.
The last owner we worked for was Captain Hazelwood. His wife was the manager. He was a captain for the P&O line. He retired and he and his wife wanted to adopt me. My mother turned them down. I never forgave her for that.
There is a story that King Charles was her “visitor”( peg not my mum) frequently. There is supposed to be a secret tunnel going to the old church. I spent many hours looking for it but no luck.
I now live in Burnaby BC Canada but I often think of the happy times I spent playing by the locks and helping the guy close and open the gates.
Is the old argument about the name teddington still alive and well. I am a supporter of the homestead for the sons of tedder as the true name. If the wier was not there the tide would end up by Hampton court
JR
Thanks for the info & memories Jon – very interesting. I think the cottage was still a tea room until only a few years ago. It only occasionally opens now for notable occasions.
It’s still not clear where the town name came from – I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure.
Also according to Thames Landscape Trust, Teddington is no longer the last tidal lock on the Thames – it’s Molesley, so the Thames between Teddington and Hampton Court is now tidal! I see your point about the whole ‘tide end town’ theory though – before the weir was constructed only a few hundred years back, presumably the town would have had a different name.
I was so interested to hear about the cafe. I worked at the AA in Teddington in the early 60’s and had many a delicious lunch at Peg Woffingtons. I remember they made very good soups and traditional roasts. Very home made cooking.
My mother and father met at peg Woffingtons in the late 1940s. They had been going there regularly and, finally, my father who worked nearby at Tough brothers, gained the courage to introduce himself. They were married the following year. Sad to hear it is now closed.
it is open once a month for teddington society for a coffee morning by betty and tony we all look forward ro it each month
I used to go there very often with my parents and brother in the early 50s. Before I was born and during the war my Mum used to take my brother there with her friend and her son. The kind lady there always asked if they would like eggs for the children. Presumably they had hens and were keen to feed the little boys. Such happy memories especially for my Mum who is 95!
My two younger sisters and I used to get taken there by my Great Aunt Kathleen when we spent the day with her in the summer holidays in the 1980’s (she lived in nearby Kingston Lane). There was a lovely old couple running it. Even now as adults we remember Mr. Majeika as we called him (because he looked just like the children’s TV series character!).
In fact, I was slightly spooked by the picture you have of the cottages on this page because I could have sworn that the old lady walking past is my Great Aunt Kathleen herself! She died in 1994 though… When was this photo taken please?
Thanks for the memories Rebecca. The photos were from a digital camera so most likely not from that long ago!