The Petersham Hotel, Nightingale Lane
In 1639, a slice of Richmond Hill’s verdant expanse, nestled between the commons of Richmond and Petersham, found its custodian in Francis Barnard, courtesy of the Vestry’s grant. The terms were simple: maintain the boundary fence and stile dividing the commons. At the pinnacle of this historic land now looms The Wick, a majestic edifice […]
The Long Life Of The Star And Garter
If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting Richmond Hill, I am sure you’ve heard of The Star and Garter. The Star and Garter has played a big role in the history of Richmond. Many important people have visited and stayed there and it has helped to serve not just its guests, or Richmond, […]
The Lass of Richmond Hill
These words from a 19th-century song-sheet, ’The Lass of Richmond Hill’ form part of Richmond folk-lore. A popular song of the 1900s, the lyrics originated from a poem by Reverend Thomas Maurice which was first read in 1807 at Vauxhall Gardens – the most famous of the pleasure gardens. The Poem recounts the supposed true […]
The Opening of Terrace and Buccleuch Gardens
For hundreds of years, the parish was the most important unit of local government. The parish vestry members of Richmond hearing In the late 1800s that the Duke of Buccleuch’s estate was for sale felt concerned, This land included the stretch adjacent to the river, where the family house stood as well as acres of […]
Death on the Railways
Ill-fated MP of the 19th Century, compared to Transport Secretary Grayling and killed by Stevenson’s Rocket, lived in Richmond. In 1792 the ruins of the old Richmond House on Richmond Hill were cleared for the building of a row of new houses planned for the gentry. Known as Richmond Terrace, 226 years later the windows […]