It’s always been a well-to-do area, Hampton, since Henry VIII picked an argument with Thomas Wolsey because he wanted his house. Until they changed it in 2016, the club’s crest reflected the area’s gentility. The top-left image shows three royal-approved glove puppeteers, Hampton Court Palace being the first location of a Punch & Judy show (although in the 16th century the double-talk between Mr Punch and the policeman was heavy with propaganda against the monasteries – according to a contemporary record, a typical exchange would go: Policeman: “Hey what are you doing to the Abbot?”/Mr Punch: “Punching him in the head for he possesses great wealth that rightfully belongs to the people of this land but is instead being directed to the corrupt Pope in Rome” – and very few children found it funny).
The image top-right is of Hampton Court, just after Henry VIII had moved in and had it painted, making all the rooms look bigger. The image bottom-left is of a heavy cork sandal, which has nothing to do with the Tudor dynasty but was considered an upbeat motif for a forward-looking, liberal community. The final image, bottom-right, is of water, specifically the River Thames, which of course runs peacefully through Hampton and Richmond; this particular stretch celebrated in Jerome K Jerome’s lesser-known third instalment of the trilogy, Three Men Spending A Month Away From Their Families Ostensibly Researching A 100-Page Book. Cameron Carter