Timothy Bennet was the famous shoemaker of Hampton Wick. He was a well respected local resident in the 18th Century and he quickly became an accidental local hero due to his campaign to open up access across Bushy Park to the common man. He saw the great inconvenience cause to the local people by the closure of what he considered to be public land, so he campaigned with success to open the area up. In many ways he led the campaign for public footpaths in the country.
