Place Name
Named after John Hampden (circa 1594 – June 24, 1643), a MP and one of the leading figures in the English Civil War, who was much admired by the Victorians. His attempt to arrest Charles I in the House of Commons in 1642 is commemorated each State Opening of Parliament when the door to the Commons Chamber is symbolically slammed in the face of the Monarch. Hampden’s action, along with four others, led to the war, which ended with the overthrow of Charles I. A road honouring the Parliamentarian leader, Oliver Cromwell, is nearby.
