Richmond, London

Richmond upon Thames is a place in London, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

It is at the western terminus of the District line on the London underground system.

It is south of the Thames but because of the way the river twists around it, the town of Richmond is actually north-west of Richmond Bridge. It is very popular in summer with university rowing teams and tourists strolling along the bankside.

Famous residents include the actor Richard Attenborough, George Eliot and the painter JMW Turner who painted Richmond Hill and the bridge more than once. From the twelfth century until 1718 there was a royal residence in Richmond. Its greatest fame was in the 16th century when Henry VIII and Elizabeth I spent many Christmases within the palace.

Henry VII was fond of Richmond Castle in Yorkshire. When a fire destroyed 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 Shakespeare's "Richard III", and in "Henry VI part 3", Henry VII is known as Richmond. This is because he called himself Earl of Richmond (the Yorkshire one).

Early History

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 Sheen. William Wallace ("Braveheart") was executed in London in 1305. 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 II 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. He took his bride Anne of Bohemia there. Twelve years later Richard was so distraught at the death of Anne at the age of 28, that he ordered the manor to be destroyed. For almost 20 years it lay in ruins, until Henry V undertook rebuilding work in 1414. Henry also founded a Carthusian monastery there. There were various royal connections at Sheen until the fateful day of 23rd December 1497 when most of the (wooden) buildings were destroyed by fire.

Richmond Palace

In 1502 Henry VII's new palace, now called Richmond, witnessed a betrothal. Princess Margaret , Henry's eldest daughter, became engaged to King James IV of Scotland. From this line eventually came the house of Stuart. In 1509 Henry VII died at Richmond. Later the same year, Henry VIII celebrated Christmas at Richmond with the first of his six wives, Catherine of Aragon. Over the next hundred years the Christmas celebrations gradually increased with music, dancing, theatricals and revels. The twelve days of Christmas were barely celebrated before the sixteenth century. By the time Elizabeth I died at Richmond in 1603, it was well established in court circles. Almost nothing survives of earlier manors. The lodge of Henry VII's building still stands, and the foundations of the other royal buildings can be detected. In the 1520's Cardinal Wolsey adopted new renaissance architectural styles at Hampton Court. This was only a few miles from Richmond and Henry was boiling with jealousy. He took it from Wolsey and forced him to accept Richmond Palace in exchange. Henry's 3rd wife, Jane Seymour, died at Richmond. In 1540 Henry gave the palace to his fourth wide, Anne of Cleves. In 1554 Queen Mary I married Philip II of Spain. They spent their honeymoon at Hampton Court and Richmond. Later that same year, the future Elizabeth I was held prisoner at Richmond. Once she became queen she spent much of her time at Richmond, and died there on 24th March 1603. When Walter Raleigh brought tobacco and potatoes from the new world, it was to Richmond that he brought his discoveries.

James I preferred Westminster to Richmond, but even before he became king, Charles I owned Richmond palace and started to build his art collection while living there. Like Elizabeth he enjoyed hunting stags in the area now known as Richmond Park. The stags are now protected. If you enter the park at dawn you can see them outside the fenced area, as they are relatively tame. Within months of the execution of Charles I in 1649, Richmond palace was sold for 13,000 pounds. Over the next ten years it was mostly demolished, and the stones re-used for building.

Existing 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 Branley 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 band of the Thames.

The Rolling Stones

Opposite the Railway Station is a pub. In 1963 it was a rock venue called the Crawdaddy Club. On April 18th the Rolling Stones performed one of many gigs here. Paul Lukas, a bass player with the Tridents (including Jeff Beck) made a tape recording of it. Decades later, the same tape was auctioned at Christie's for hundreds of pounds. On one occasion the Beatles visited the Crawdaddy Club in order to hear the Stones. In the 60's and early 70's Eel Pie Island in Twickenham was another rock venue. The Stones, Traffic and other bands played here. In the 90's Mick Jagger and Jerry bought a house on Richmond Hill. Ron Wood once owned the same house on the Hill that actor John Mills previously lived in.

Nearest places:

Twickenham

Ham

Isleworth

St. Margarets

Kew

Mortlake

Nearest tube stations

Richmond station

Nearest railway stations

Richmond station

St Margaret's

North Sheen

Kew Gardens