For centuries, Twickenham, Teddington, Whitton and the Hamptons were bucolic places, a string of villages alongside the great highway of the Thames. Hampton Court is most famous for its connections with Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey and its royal palace, but it was the river that offered a livelihood to many, through fishing and boatbuilding and access to London, and also for its many fruit, vegetable and flower gardens. Twickenham particularly became...