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Richmond is an affluent suburb in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. It is located 8.3 miles (13.4 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in central London.
The district sits on the south side of the River Thames opposite St. Margarets, but because of the way the river twists around it, Richmond town is actually north-east of Richmond Bridge. It is very popular in summer with university rowing teams and tourists strolling along the bankside.
History
Henry VII was fond of Richmond Castle in Yorkshire. When a fire accidentally destroyed his manor in Sheen in 1497 he built a palace there and re-named it Richmond in 1501. The name Sheen is now used for the eastern end of Richmond town. Many people assume that the folk song "Lass of Richmond Hill" refers to Richmond Upon Thames, but it originated in the Yorkshire Richmond. In William Shakespeare's "Richard III", and in "Henry VI part 3", Henry VII is referred to as Richmond. This is because he was Earl of Richmond. This Richmond was the source of the name chosen for Richmond, Virginia, and the two Richmonds are sister cities.*
Royal connections
See main article: Richmond Palace. Henry I lived briefly in the King's house in Sheanes (or Shene or Sheen). In 1299 Edward I "Hammer of the Scots", took his whole court to the manor-house at Sheen, a little east of the bridge, and close by the river side, which thus became a royal palace. William Wallace ("Braveheart") was executed in London in 1305, and it was in Sheen that the Commissioners from Scotland went down on their knees before Edward. The Percy family from Northumberland were rewarded for their loyalty by receiving a barony at Sheen in 1310. To this day the Dukes of Northumberland divide their time between Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, and Syon House, just north of Richmond. Edward II did not fare as well as his father. Following his defeat at the hands of the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, he founded a monastery for Carmelites at Sheen. When the boy-king Edward III came to the throne in 1327 he gave the manor to his mother Isabella. Almost 50 years later his wife, also called Isabella died. Edward then spent over 2,000 pounds on improvements. In the middle of the work Edward III himself died at the manor in 1377. In 1368 Geoffrey Chaucer served as a yeoman at Sheen.Richard II was the first English king to make Sheen his main residence in 1383. Twelve years later Richard was so distraught at the death of his wife Anne of Bohemia at the age of 28, that he, according to Holinshed, "caused it manor to be thrown down and defaced; whereas the former kings of this land, being wearie of the citie, used customarily thither to resort as to a place of pleasure, and serving highly to their recreation." It rebuilt 1414-1422, but destroyed by fire 1497. The palace was rebuilt again and renamed Richmond Palace by King Henry VII. It was not used after 1649, and the bulk had decayed by 1779.
Surviving structures include the Wardrobe, and the Gate House. The latter was built 1501, and was made available on a 65 year lease by the Crown Estate Commissioners in 1986. It has 5 bedrooms.
Historic buildings around Richmond Green
In 1688 James II ordered partial reconstruction of the palace, this time as a royal nursery. The trumpeter's house, built around 1700 still exists. Close by is a well preserved terrace of three-story houses, called Maids of Honours Row. It was built in 1724 for the maids of honour (trusted royal wardrobe servants) of the wife of George II. Richard Burton, the Victorian explorer, lived at number 2. In Dickens' Great Expectations Estella comes to London to meet Mrs Brandley who lives here. From the sixteenth century, tournaments and archery contests have taken place on Richmond Green. As you look across the Green from the old Palace you can see a pub called "The Cricketers". Cricket matches have taken place here since about 1650. There was a pub of this name in 1770, but it burned down in 1844. It was soon replaced by the present building, a grade II listed building. Samuel Whitbread, founder of the Whitbread brewery owned it and had a brewery in Water Lane, close to the old Palace.The first inter-county cricket match which is recorded was played on the Green in 1730 between Surrey and Middlesex. The old palace overlooks the river on the other side. One of the earliest detailed paintings of a morris dance was painted here. It dates from about 1620 and shows a fool, a hobby-horse, a piper, and Maid-Marian and three dancers on the bank of the Thames.
The beautiful Victorian theatre Richmond Theatre has been used as a movie set in many recent films (e.g. Finding Neverland and The Hours). The theatre is now part of the Ambassadors Theatre Group and has a weekly schedule of plays and musicals, usually given by professional touring companies. Pre West End shows can sometimes be seen. There is a Christmas and New Year Pantomime tradition and many of Britain's greatest Music Hall and pantomime performers have appeared.
The Rolling Stones
Famous residents
From the twelfth century until 1649 there was a royal residence in Richmond. Its greatest fame was in the 16th century when Henry VIII and Elizabeth I spent many a Christmas within the palace.
The Chilean Bernardo O'Higgins, who later led his country to independence and become first Chilean head of state, lived and studied at Clarence House in the Vineyard from around the turn of the 19th century. In 1855 George Eliot rented a house in Parkshot, and during the next three years she wrote there the greater part of her first novel, Adam Bede. The painter JMW Turner, who painted Richmond Hill and the bridge more than once, designed a house for himself (Sandycombe Lodge) that still survives unchanged on the other side of the river, in St. Margarets. John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, who served twice as prime minister in the mid 19th century lived at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park and his grandson, the mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell grew up there in the care of his grandmother after he was orphaned. In the early part of the 20th century, Virginia Woolf lived at Hogarth House in Paradise Road between 1915 and 1924 with her husband Leonard and founded the Hogarth Press there in 1917. John Turner, who was briefly the Canadian prime minister in 1984 was born here in 1929 and the actor John Mills used to live in Richmond.
Current famous residents include Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy, a granddaughter of King George V. Princess Alexandra resides at Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park, a property acquired by her late husband, Angus Ogilvy following their wedding in 1967. Other residents include television presenters and brothers Richard Attenborough and David Attenborough as well as the rock star Mick Jagger, his ex-wife the Texan model/actress Jerry Hall, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, Pink Floyd keyboard player Rick Wright, and actor Richard E Grant.
In addition to some of the more big name celebrities who live in Richmond, there is also a plethora of other familiar faces from stage, television and film. The area is filled with talented musicians and artists. Some of Tina Turner's more famous songs were written in Richmond by the singer/songwriter Terry Britten.
Open spaces
Richmond is a green and leafy town and it is surrounded by accessible open spaces. To the east and south lies Richmond Park a large area of wild heath and woodland that was first enclosed by Charles I as a hunting park. To the north lie the wide green lawns and playing fields of the Old Deer Park which run down to the River Thames, and beyond it Kew Gardens.
On the west, rising above the river are the Terrace Gardens: these gardens were laid out in the 1880s and extended down to the River Thames some 40 years later; the broad gravel walk along the top is earlier and the view west towards Windsor has long been famous. A grand description of the view can be found in Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Heart of Midlothian (1818):
- "A huge sea of verdure with crossing and interesting promontories of massive and tufted groves, … tenanted by numberless flocks and herds, which seem to wander unrestrained, and unbounded, through rich pastures. The Thames, here turreted with villas and there garlanded with forests, moved on slowly and placidly, like the mighty monarch of the scene, to whom all its other beauties were accessories, and bore on his bosom a hundred barks and skiffs, whose white sails and gaily fluttering pennons gave life to the whole."
Apart from the great rugby stadium at Twickenham and the aircraft landing and taking off from London Heathrow Airport the scene has changed little in 200 years.
Shopping & Entertainment
The town has a compact centre, largely focused on George Street and Hill Street, with some pleasant narrow alleyways running off towards The Green. Shops tend to be at the upper end of expectations with numerous designer boutiques as well as more recognisable names such as Marks & Spencer and House of Fraser. Unlike nearby Kingston, Richmond has no indoor shopping centres and is largely populated by smaller units which add to its appeal, although the main streets are occasionally choked with traffic.
Richmond is also well known for its secluded cafés, and its farmers market which takes place on Saturdays 11 to 3. Traders from a wide range of backgrounds come to sell culinary goods such as dairy products, meats, baked goods and vegetables.
The town also has two Odeon cinemas, one located upon entry to Richmond via the bridge, and the second set further back.
Leisure on the river
The river side is a major contribution to most people's interest in Richmond. The Thames provides access to many pubs, parks and paths through Richmond and can prove to be an interesting way of spending an afternoon. Boats can be rented from local boat merchants close to the bridge, and there's a large tour boat that departs hourly from Richmond's side of the Thames.
If rowing isn't your strong point, there are tow paths and tracks that lead along either side of the Thames which are frequented by joggers, walkers, cyclists and the average pedestrian. With fields, cafés and benches frequently posted along the way, it makes for an extremely pleasant walk.
Education
The town has a university called Richmond- The American International University in London. Richmond degrees are accredited in the USA, and are validated in the UK.
Transport
Richmond station is one of the western termini of the District Line on the London Underground system. It is also the western terminus of the North London Line to North Woolwich and served by trains from Waterloo station on the National Rail service, connecting it with Reading, Staines, Windsor, Wimbledon and Weybridge.
Nearest places
Nearest tube stations
Nearest railway stations
External links
See also
- Savoy Palace, for an earlier erected palace by the holder of Richmondshire.
Districts of London | Richmond upon Thames | River Thames | Royal residences in the United Kingdom
Richmond (Themse) | Richmond upon Thames | Richmond upon Thames | Richmond upon Thames | Richmond-upon-Thames
"Richmond upon Thames"