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 theriver and climbing up Richmond Hill to see the famous view. It is perfectly possible to 'do' Richmond in one day, however, so Ihave 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. Here is 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 appealing. Nearby is a antique sign for an up-market optimetrist.
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 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 PalaceTerrace (1692).At the end of the row turn left through an archway in Old Palace Yard, once the outer courtyard of ahuge palace. To the left are some Tudor buildings in the warm red brick and blue diaperpatterning of the period (though much altered over the years). They originally formed part ofthe 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 standeach side of the portico).
After this the path is a bit more peaceful, though there are many boathouses, some restaurants, and large residences whose gardens stretch almost to the water. Soon you will see the beautiful Petersham Meadows ahead. After the last boathouses and some modern buildings there is a slope up to Petersham Road (useful for those with a buggy), otherwise proceed along the river path, now lined with trees to find some steps (and WC’s). At the top of the steps you will see directly opposite the long track to the top of Richmond Hill. Please cross the road by the lights, as there is a blind bend.There are two options* - one is to walk a few minutes to the left, then climb comparatively easily through the 1887 Terrace Gardens, a park with a delightful little café complete with old rough-hewn wood verandah, or you can turn right and take the traditional path up to the famous view. 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. Once you have reached the top (the road is called Richmond Hill), you are facing a long terrace of (mainly) Georgian houses. You can now sit yourself down on a bench and enjoy the river panorama, so long been admired by artists. These included Sir Joshua Reynolds who in 1772 commissioned Wick House, situated to the south on the 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 three sets of almshouses here, of which the prettiest are Michel’s Almshouses, 1811, with cottagey garden. Walk down as far as Halford Road (with Halford House, downhill on the corner, a hidden gem). Turn left here - it leads to Paradise Road. Cross this 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/overground station. At this point I must come clean and tell you that if you live in South East London, the excellent overground train service from Waterlook might be a better option than the Tube.
This is only a brief summary of the many interesting things to be found inRichmond - there are many more - but one has to stop somewhere!
Photos: (to enlarge click on image)
Richmond Lock/The Yarmouth /boats on the Thames
Optimetrists sign
Old Palace Yard Henry VII Archway/Maids of Honour Row
Nineteen century cottages
Asgill House
Trumpeters' summerhouse
View from Richmond Hill
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 quirky buildings even in the most unpromising areas covered by the outer London Underground stations. Usually the discoveries 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 see the other destinations explored. You'll be amazed at what's out there!
© DR2010
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 theriver and climbing up Richmond Hill to see the famous view. It is perfectly possible to 'do' Richmond in one day, however, so Ihave 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. Here is 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 appealing. Nearby is a antique sign for an up-market optimetrist.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 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 PalaceTerrace (1692).At the end of the row turn left through an archway in Old Palace Yard, once the outer courtyard of ahuge palace. To the left are some Tudor buildings in the warm red brick and blue diaperpatterning of the period (though much altered over the years). They originally formed part ofthe 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 standeach 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. Turn left down this lane to get to the river. You might like to make a detour to the right, going under Twickenham Bridge to see the unusualRichmond Lock, (1894). On the way you will cross George III's Meridian line. If you peep through the modern steel posts you will see the 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). The lock is a little further on, and is 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.
To continue the walk to Richmond Hill (about 1 mile from here), go back along the river and under Twickenham Bridge to pass the front of Asgill House. Set into the garden wall is an enchanting pink summer house. This part of the river path is known as Cholmondely Walk, and is very busy at summer weekend with people admiring the view, boats being hired by the hour and theYarmouth Belle paddle steamer taking trippers for a cruise. Cyclists can also be a bit of a hazard. 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.
After this the path is a bit more peaceful, though there are many boathouses, some restaurants, and large residences whose gardens stretch almost to the water. Soon you will see the beautiful Petersham Meadows ahead. After the last boathouses and some modern buildings there is a slope up to Petersham Road (useful for those with a buggy), otherwise proceed along the river path, now lined with trees to find some steps (and WC’s). At the top of the steps you will see directly opposite the long track to the top of Richmond Hill. Please cross the road by the lights, as there is a blind bend.There are two options* - one is to walk a few minutes to the left, then climb comparatively easily through the 1887 Terrace Gardens, a park with a delightful little café complete with old rough-hewn wood verandah, or you can turn right and take the traditional path up to the famous view. 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. Once you have reached the top (the road is called Richmond Hill), you are facing a long terrace of (mainly) Georgian houses. You can now sit yourself down on a bench and enjoy the river panorama, so long been admired by artists. These included Sir Joshua Reynolds who in 1772 commissioned Wick House, situated to the south on the 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 three sets of almshouses here, of which the prettiest are Michel’s Almshouses, 1811, with cottagey garden. Walk down as far as Halford Road (with Halford House, downhill on the corner, a hidden gem). Turn left here - it leads to Paradise Road. Cross this 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/overground station. At this point I must come clean and tell you that if you live in South East London, the excellent overground train service from Waterlook might be a better option than the Tube.This is only a brief summary of the many interesting things to be found inRichmond - there are many more - but one has to stop somewhere!
Photos: (to enlarge click on image)
Richmond Lock/The Yarmouth /boats on the Thames
Optimetrists sign
Old Palace Yard Henry VII Archway/Maids of Honour Row
Nineteen century cottages
Asgill House
Trumpeters' summerhouse
View from Richmond Hill
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 quirky buildings even in the most unpromising areas covered by the outer London Underground stations. Usually the discoveries 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 see the other destinations explored. You'll be amazed at what's out there!
© DR2010
