Like many suburbs of London, Shepperton is probably best known as an extension of the great city of Big Ben rather than a singular identity in and of itself. This is kind of understandable, though, considering the fact that the famed M3 motorway is visible from nearly all parts of Shepperton and the beloved River Thames, the lifeblood of London for millennia now, flanks Shepperton's south side. Calling Shepperton a mere finger on the hand of London would be doing the town a great disservice, however, and the truth of the matter is that Shepperton has been a vital part of England for nearly as long as London itself.
Before the dawn of the first millennium Shepperton was a quaint area where several sheep herders tended to their flocks. This is how the town got its name in the first place: Shepperton translates neatly into Sheperd's Town. The town went through various translations until it arrived at Shepperton, though. The world famous Domesday Book lists Shepperton at the time as being called Scepertone. In those days towns became born usually because of an Abbey being built. Wherever an abbey was placed a clan of monks would live there and then as pilgrims and wanderers came along a semblance of a town began to take shape. Most of these small hamlets would become towns that were named after the abbey that birthed them. They wouldn't be real English towns, however, until they were documented in the Domesday Book. Shepperton is a bit of an anomaly, though, because it didn't have its own abbey and instead was held under the control of the incredibly popular Westminster Abbey. To be fair, Westminster Abbey looked nothing like the imposing masterpiece that it is today and this was during the time that it was still actively a cathedral. At any rate, Shepperton was very young and was already struggling with larger, looming forces that looked to envelop the town within their overarching forces.
Curiously enough, despite the fact that Shepperton is home to countless architectural treasures and historical relics, the town is probably best known for being the home of the wildly popular Shepperton Studios. Shepperton studios has been the home to countless movie productions throughout its history including Hamlet and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Many production companies from outside the United Kingdom choose to film their on location material here because of the decidedly British flavor that the studio breathes into even the most meager productions. These days Shepperton Studios is merged with Pinewood and Pinewood itself is a subsidiary of an even larger company. Though the studio still acts largely the same, it seems fitting that even the movie studio of Shepperton is so desirable that more powerful groups can't help but try to incorporate. Shepperton is simply that kind of town: A beautiful and lovely location that any country would be proud to be a home to. It is little wonder, then, why so many outsiders want to hold on to Shepperton in order to appropriate its vitality.
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