RICHMOND District Line

There is so much to see and enjoy here that you really need two visits - one for the town itself and the other for walking by the river and climbing up Richmond Hill to see the famous view. It is perfectly possible to 'do' Richmond in one day, however, so I have assumed that is what most people will prefer. A surprising amount of the route is accessible for buggies and wheelchairs, even Richmond Hill itself could be reached via Hill Rise rather than climbing up from the river as I have suggested below. If you download the map at the end you may well be able to work out an itinerary that suits you better.

Here goes: from the station turn left down The Quad, a busy shopping street. At The Square cross the road to a narrow alley, Duke Street, on the right. At the end of this is Richmond Green. Go left for a feast of (mainly 18th century) architecture. The Gothick style of No. 3 is a bit of a surprise, while among the delicately ornamented doorways No.11 with its cherubs is especially pretty. The Green was used for jousting tournaments in Tudor times and cricket was played there from the 17th/18th centuries. For an entertaining description of a match played in 1731 which ended in a riot go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Green. Pass The Cricketers pub and go straight ahead to one of several interesting little lanes - Paved Court with its small shops and houses of the 1690’s. No 1 has an early 19th century bow window.

Next turn right to King Street and back to The Green. More glorious houses - Oak House and Old Palace Place. After these comes Tudor House and Maids of Honour Row, built in 1724 for the attendants of Caroline of Ansbach, wife of the future George I. At right-angles to these buildings you will Old Palace Terrace (1692).

At the end of the row turn left through an archway adorned with the coat of arms of Henry VII. Now you are in Old Palace Yard, once the outer courtyard of a huge palace. To the left are some Tudor buildings in the warm red brick and blue diaper patterning of the period (though much altered over the years). They originally formed part of the external wall of the palace where Elizabeth I died in 1603. Ahead of you is Trumpeters’ House (so-called because of statues that used to stand each side of the portico).

Turning right at the top of the square you will see some white cast-iron bollards with the initials ‘ER’. This is the beginning of Old Palace Lane with early 19th century cottages on one side and the wall of Asgill House on the other. Built in 1757/8 this neat Palladian villa was used as a summer residence by Sir Charles Asgill, Lord Mayor of London 1761-2.

Walking to the left down here will bring you to the river, however, you might like to make a detour to the right - a few minutes' walk will bring you to the unusual Richmond Lock, (1894) the last one downstream. Techno-buffs will enjoy going on to the elegant bridge and seeing the 32 ton barrages that are lowered into place between the arches as the tide begins to ebb. Their purpose is to maintain a regular depth of water between here and Teddington Lock whatever the state of the tide. Up to 1938 there was a fee to use the lock - hence the funny little railway-style ticket office. Splendid view of Richmond from the middle of the bridge.

On the way to the lock you will have crossed George III's Meridian line and perhaps peeped through the modern steel posts that line up the view of obelisk and Observatory that George III commissioned in order to see the transit of Venus in 1769. He had it set up with three obelisks along his personal Meridian. The Observatory set the official time for London throughout the 1770’s ( a standard national time was not necessary until the coming of the railways).

To continue the walk towards Richmond Hill, go back along the river to pass the front of Asgill House. Over the wall you can see an aviary and a enchanting pink and white summer house. Continue walking by the river, busy on summer weekend with lots of boats hired by the hour. At Water Lane you will find seats and The White Cross Hotel. Here the path broadens out to create a small square where you can sit in pleasant surroundings and perhaps take some refreshment.

Moving on, the riverbank is lined with houses and boathouses at various levels, some with gardens that come right down to the path. Gradually it all becomes more grassy, with the beautiful Petersham Meadows ahead. Watch out for cyclists along here, especially at weekends. Soon after the boathouses there are some steps (and WC’s). The steps take you up to Petersham Road. Cross over at the zebra and the entrance to Terrace Gardens is straight in front of you. There are two options* - one is to climb comparatively easily through this 1887 park which has a delightful little café complete with old rough-hewn wood verandah, or you can take the traditional path up to the famous view. In this case instead of going through the park, walk to the right until you see a kissing gate and path leading straight up the hill towards a terrace of large Georgian houses. If you do take this steeper path the trick is to turn round at intervals - a glorious river vista will then unfold more and more. (Don't try this if you suffer from vertigo!) At the top are some steps with unusual railings decorated with pineapples. The river panorama has long been admired by artists, including Sir Joshua Reynolds who in 1772 commissioned Wick House, situated to the right along the faintly Continental gravel esplanade. Actually, the house next to it, The Wick,1775, is more attractive. Over the road is the handsome Georgian Richmond Gate Hotel, once a country house. It becomes obvious why it is so called if you continue to the end of the esplanade, as there you will see the gates of Richmond Park.


To return to the town centre, retrace your steps and then keep walking down the road named Richmond Hill. You will pass more intriguing properties – especially No. 48. The Old Vicarage School, a cream stuccoed Gothick edifice. The walk is now more urban, with small shops. At the point where the road becomes Hill Rise, turn right into The Vineyard. This is a completely different type of area, generally less grand - but there is still a fair amount of Georgian deep red brick around. There are several sets of almshouses here, of which the prettiest are Michel’s Almshouses, 1811, with cottagey garden. If you have any energy left, have a potter round here, then go down Halford Road (with Halford House a hidden gem) which leads to Paradise Road. Cross to go down Church Walk, an old passageway through the churchyard of St. Mary’s, and you will be back in the busy shopping streets of Richmond. Go right down George Street to get back to the Underground.



This is only a brief summary of the many interesting things to be found in Richmond - there are many more - but one has to stop somewhere!

* Actually there are is a third option for the really dedicated explorer. At the beginning of Petersham Meadows a sign tell you that Ham House is only half a mile away!

1st group: Richmond Bridge, Richmond Lock
2nd group: Maids of Honour Row, Old Palace Place
3rd group: Henry VII Archway, Old Palace Yard,
4th group: 19c cottages
5th group: Asgill House, Trumpeters' summerhouse, view from Richmond Hill
6th group: The Old Vicarage School, Michel's Almshouses.

MAP

Richmond is just one walk from the many to be found at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and whacky buildings to be found, even in the most unpromising areas covered by the Greater London Underground stations. Usually the places listed are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to go to www.londontuberambles.co.uk to see the other destinations explored . You'll be amazed at what's out there!



© DR2007