Your Five Minute Guide To The London Borough Richmond upon Thames
Image:Gordon Bell/Shutterstock
Overview
The London Borough Richmond upon Thames as we currently know it came into being in 1965 by the amalgamation of three boroughs Barnes and Richmond to the east of the Thames and Twickenham on the other side. Thus the Borough is the only one in the Capital to span the river having a river frontage of 21 1/2 miles. It also contains over 345 acres of the Metropolitan Green Belt designation.
It is the home of a number of London’s major attractions making it a destination both for both domestic and overseas tourists and remains one of the most affluent boroughs & according to a 2017 research project by Trust for London it has the lowest rate of poverty, child obesity and adults without level 3 qualifications of any London borough. It is one of the greenest areas in London with over 100 parks and open spaces, including such well-known ones as Richmond Park, Kew Gardens, Bushy Park and Old Deer Park. Overall the borough covers around 22.17 square miles and is one of the least ethnically diverse with 85.9% of the population identifying themselves as British or other White in the 2011 census.
Image: ii-graphics/Shutterstock
There are Fourteen separate districts or Villages as the locals identify them and thirteen main population centres, with Twickenham being the largest – accounting for around a quarter of the Boroughs population and is the base for the local Council. The others are:
Barnes
East Sheen
East Twickenham
Ham
Hampton Hill
Hampton Village
Hampton Wick
Kew
Richmond
St Margarets
Teddington
Whitton
Home of Kew Gardens
Despite it being a green and suburban district it serves as a major centre for tourism, both national and from overseas, housing a number of internationally famous attractions including Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace, & the WWT London Wetlands Centre, where you can see birdlife as diverse as the rare Eurasian Bittern (if you are very patient or lucky) to the ubiquitous invasive species the Ringneck Parakeet.
Native to Asia but now fairly well established in the Borough probably from escaped or released pets.
Edwin Image: Godinho/Shutterstock
The National Physical Laboratory, The National Archives are other major if more niche attractions and for sports fans, Twickenham Stadium is also located in the borough.
One for Rugby Fans
Editorial credit: Peter James Sampson / Shutterstock.com
A Brief History of Richmond Upon Thames
The Borough of Richmond given its close proximity to the Thames has probably had some inhabitation since ancient times. The town of Shene (the forerunner of Richmond) wasn’t noted in the Doomsday Book however Petersham (Patricesham) and Teddington (Tudinton) were indicating the area was inhabited from at least 969. At the time Petersham comprised only 17 households but had its own Church, while Teddington was listed as having 10 slaves!
Kew appeared in the record books from the early 14th Century and in 1498 Henry VII built a palace at Richmond which was his home until his death in 1509 at and his som Henry VIII would eventually own Hampton Court Palace after Cardinal Wolsey fell from favour in 1529. This was subsequently passed on to his 4th wife Ann of Cleves in 1540 assumedly as part of the divorce settlement.
The World Famous Kew Gardens appeared in 1840 and today the Royal Botanic Gardens located in the park contain the world’s largest and most diverse collection of living plants, with over 30,000 types!
Population
The first official census in 1801 put the Boroughs population at 14,560 and this grew steadily for the next 50 years at a rate far higher than the English average. By 1901 and the end of Queen Victorias Reign it had ballooned to 103,720 and then nearly doubling again over the following 50 years to a historic peak of 202,246 in the 1951 census. The population thereafter began to decline possibly due to the more rural nature of the Borough and by 1981 it was down to a post-1920s low of 157,298. Since then the population has been creeping back up and the 2011 census put the figure at 186,990.
Not A Lot Of People Know That…
1980s Canadian Prime Minister John Turner was born in Richmond in 1929 before moving to Canada in 1932. The would become the 17th PM and go on to serve from September 17, 1984 – February 7, 1990.
British Queen Mary I & Philip II of Spain spent their honeymoon at Hampton Court, while she held her sister Queen Elizabeth I prisoner at Richmond Palace.
Gustav Holst Composer of the world-renowned “The Planets” Lived in Richmond between 1903 & 1908 during which time he composed one of his orchestral works “A Somerset Rapsody”
Sporting Teams.
The Borough has a number of clubs covering a diverse range of sports ranging from Rugby (which dominates The Borough) through to Polo. Some of the bigger ones are listed below:
Rugby Union
Rugby Union dominates the spectator sports sector in the Borough led by Premier League Harlequins who play their home games at Twickenham. They have been around since 1866 and they were champions in 2011-12 and have won the European Challenge Cup three times.
Danny Care playing for Harlequins in their trademark kit Editorial credit: takaimages / Shutterstock.com
The Boroughs other main Rugby teams ate London Scottish who are based in Richmond and play in the RFU Championship and Richmond RFC who were relegated from the Championship in 2019. London Welsh who is based at Old Deer Park was briefly the Boroughs other Premiership club, however, they went into liquidation in 2017 and have since reformed as an amateur club playing in tier 9 of the Rugby pyramid. Given their history (formed in 1885) they are likely to get back to semi-pro status over the next few years.
Football
Hampton & Richmond Borough is the only senior-level football club and they have been around since 1921. They will be playing in the National League South in 2019-20 (the 6th Tier) and they reached the playoffs for a place in the Conference Premiership inn 2008-9 after finishing second. They have also made it through to the 1st Round of the FA Cup three times – most recently in 2018-19 when after leading for most of the game they lost to a 94th-minute goal in front of a 2,720 crowd.
They play at The Jezzards Beveree Stadium. There is also a Ladies team who play in Division One of the Greater London Women’s League (finished 3rd in 2018-19)
Hampton & Richmond v Sutton United – a bit of a local rivalry
Cricket
Cricket is big in the Borough with several clubs dating back to the mid-1800s based here. Richmond Cricket Club play at a very high level – competing in the Middlesex Premier League, which they won back in 2004. Ham and Petersham Cricket Club are the oldest dating back to 1815. With around 12 clubs in the borough, there is always a game available in the summer at the weekend.
Anyone for Polo?
Once common in the London area Ham Polo Club is one of the last remaining small local ones with around 125 playing members at Ham and several hundred social members. The club’s facilities include three polo fields, a livery service, coaching and a members’ clubhouse with a restaurant and bar.
Polo is played at Ham Polo Club between May and September. You can buy tickets (subject to availability) for most of the events, however, these tend to be picnic entries and don’t include access to the clubhouse. Still, if you are visiting it is a nice day out and social memberships are normally available if you live in or intend to move into the area. The dress Code not surprisingly is smart casual or better.
Other sports
The borough has four Tennis clubs and nine Golf Clubs including a 9 holer at Strawberry Hill. Being located on the Thanes there are plenty of watersports opportunities and the wonderfully named Ell Pie Hill is the home of the Twickenham Rowing Club which is the third oldest Rowing Clun on the River dating from 1860.
Twinning
Richmond upon Thames is twinned with three other towns or cities, these being:
Fontainebleau in France
Konstanz in Germany
Richmond, Virginia, In the USA
Getting Around.
Railway Stations
Richmond Station built in 1937 and still maintaining its Art Deco style and square clock Editorial credit: BasPhoto / Shutterstock.com
Most major population centres in this London Borough have overground train services. Overall there are fourteen stations serving the Borough which may seem overkill, but given the amount of open space in the borough, and the limited tube services they are probably justified. A full list of them can be found below:
Barnes Bridge station
Barnes station
Fulwell station
Hampton station
Hampton Wick station
Kew Gardens station
Mortlake railway station
North Sheen station
Richmond station
St Margarets station
Strawberry Hill station
Teddington station
Twickenham station
Whitton station
Image:Hadrian/Shutterstock
The borough is connected to central London and Reading by National Rail Services meaning there are good links for anyone planning a visit.
Tube Stations
Editorial credit: Alena Veasey / Shutterstock.com
There are two London Underground Stations, both served by the District Line, these being Richmond & Kew Gardens both of which are attached to the overground stations.
Air Links
Places To Visit
Things to do
