‘Shell’ houses in Teddington

L3 Day 40 Cycled in the local area and past the deserted Lensbury Club. Maybe next week the England Rugby Team will be there again in a ‘bubble’ training for the five nations match at Twickenham? The Lensbury Club was first formed in 1920 as the sports and social club for employees of the Dutch company Shell. The extensive grounds were used for many team sports. The present building was completed in 1938. In the 1970s a conference centre was built as well as an indoor swimming pool and gym facilities. In the 1990s the club was opened to non Shell members for the first time and the playing fields on the other side of Broom Road were sold to St Mary’s University. In 1925 Shell built over 50 houses, nearby, for their employees to live in. These are still mainly unaltered as they are part of a conservation area. The houses were later sold off to private owners and now sell for over £1 million.