Richmond Park

www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list

A royal deer park with pre C15 origins, imparked by Charles I and improved by subsequent monarchs. A public open space since the mid C19.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Richmond Park is located in outer south-west London and is surrounded almost entirely by urban development: houses back onto much of the park. The town of Sheen lies c 1km to the north, Roehampton c 1km to the north-east, Petersham c 500m to the west, and Richmond c 1.5km to the north-west. To the south-west the park borders with Sudbrook Park. Beyond Star and Garter Hill to the west-north-west is Petersham Common and to the north is East Sheen Common. The c 1000ha site is enclosed within eight miles of brick wall (listed grade II) built between 1630 and 1637 and repaired many times during its long history. The undulating parkland has high areas to the west, east, and south-east and is crossed by numerous horse rides and footpaths which connect with the roads, entrances, and other features. Plantations are a major feature of the park and many pieces of water are distributed around the site, with lesser streams or drains generally flowing to the north-east.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES

The main entrance to Richmond Park is from Richmond Hill to the north-west through Richmond Gate (widened 1896, listed grade II), and past Richmond Gate lodges (listed grade II). The road then divides, one branch, Sawyer's Hill, leading to the east and the other (un-named) to the south. These roads provide vehicular access around the park and link to five additional entrances.

PRINCIPAL BUILDING

The brick- and stone-built White Lodge is situated to the south-east of the park and is approached from the west by the mid C18 Queen¿s Ride, an oak and sweet chestnut avenue over 1km in length which connects to Sawyer's Hill.

White Lodge (listed grade I), initially built as a shooting box, is an elegant Palladian villa, five bays wide with a central staircase to the first floor. The engaged Doric columns above support entablature and pediment. Building was begun in c 1727 from designs by Henry, Earl of Pembroke, probably assisted by Roger Morris, and finished two years later for George II. The Lodge was enlarged 1751-2 by Stephen Wright with further additions in 1801 by James Wyatt. Originally known as Stone Lodge, the name changed first to New Lodge and then in 1768 to White Lodge. In 1805 Humphry Repton (1752-1818) was called in to lay out c 2ha of grounds around the house. The house was further extended in the late C20 for its current (1998) occupiers, the Royal Ballet School.

PARK

From Richmond Gate, Sawyer's Hill runs c 3km east to Roehampton Gate passing, to the north, the C19 Conduit Wood and Holly Lodge (today, 1998, the Park Office and Environmental Centre). This building was shown on Eyre's map of 1754 as Cooper's Lodge, on Richardson's plan of 1771 as Lucass Lodge, and until the late C20 was known as Bog Lodge. Beyond Holly Lodge the road passes south of Two Storm Wood, planted to commemorate the trees lost in the storms of 1987 and 1990. After c 2km the road divides, the northern branch leading to East Sheen Gate with the C19 Sheen Wood to the west and C18 Adam's Pond (today used for sailing model boats) to the east. The road continues east, past the polo field to the south, to Roehampton Gate where it turns sharply to the south, crossing over Beverley Brook which runs along the boundary of the c 85ha Richmond Park Public Golf Course which lies to the east.

Continuing south the road passes paths which lead west to White Lodge, Victory Plantation (planted C20), and Spankers Hill Wood. Spankers Hill Wood was first planted in 1819 with oak, larch, spruce, sweet chestnut, and other trees, the western slopes being planted in 1824 and an extension to the north-east enclosed and planted in 1877. After 2km the road passes to the west of the Robin Hood Gate entrance. A spur road leads 0.75km north-west to a car park at the south-west corner of Spankers Hill Wood. The main route leads south-west where it climbs up through Broomfield Hill Wood passing, after c 0.75km, a car park to the east and the entrance to Isabella Plantation to the west. The 17ha Isabella Plantation was established in 1831 when Lord Sidmouth enclosed an area of oak, beech, and sweet chestnuts known as Isabella Slade. From 1950 the plantation was made into a woodland garden by J M Fisher (who also began the Waterhouse Plantation at Bushy Park (qv) in 1949). Divided from north to south by a stream which flows to Peg's Pond in the north, this garden was further developed by George Thompson between 1951 and 1953 when it was opened to the public. The Isabella Plantation is well known for displays of bluebells, camellias, azalias and rhododendrons. The road continues south-west to a network of paths west of Ladderstile Gate and then runs parallel to the south-east boundary to the Kingston Gate at the southern tip of the site. The Bog Garden was refurbished in 2000.

Some 200m north of the Kingston Gate the road divides again, the southern spur leading out of the park and the northern route turning north-north-west, passing c 200m west of Thatched House Lodge. Thatched House Lodge was begun in the mid C17 and enlarged c 1727, possibly by William Kent for Sir Robert Walpole, and remains a private residence. The thatched house which gives the lodge its present (1998) name is a summerhouse erected c 1727 in the 2ha grounds of the Lodge. After 1.25km the road divides, the western spur leading 0.5km to Ham Gate and Ham Gate Lodge (C19, listed grade II). To the north-east a horse ride and cycle path leads c 0.75km to the C19 Pond Plantation. Beyond the Plantation to the north-east are the c 12ha Pen Ponds. The two pieces of water, separated by a causeway, were created in the mid C18 from steams that run through the park and the ponds appear little altered from 1771 when they were identified on Richardson's map as 'Canals'.

The road continues c 1km north-west to Pembroke Lodge, passing White Ash Lodge (C18, listed grade II) c 300m to the east. Running almost parallel with the west side of the road is Hornbeam Walk. Developed in the mid C18, the walk leads c 1km north into the gardens of Pembroke Lodge, a white-painted, two-storey building with a Tuscan porch and pediment. Now (1998) used as a restaurant, the erstwhile C18 mole-catcher's house was altered and improved in 1788 by Sir John Soane for Elizabeth, Countess of Pembroke. Over the following forty years the Countess further enlarged the building. Surrounding Pembroke Lodge are c 5ha of semi-formal gardens laid out in the C20. A path leads north from the gardens to the highest spot in the park, known as the King Henry VIII's Mound. Possibly a Bronze Age barrow, it is recorded on C17 maps as The King's Standing and may well have been used by the King either to shoot deer or watch the hunt as it passed. To the west there are impressive views across Petersham Park, added to Richmond Park in 1834, to the Thames Valley; to the east is a protected view of London, the Post Office Tower, and on a clear day, St Paul's Cathedral. The path continues north in the direction of Richmond Gate, passing beneath a pergola (Laburnum Walk) and through a small pedestrian gate. To the east of Pembroke Lodge and the road to Richmond Gate lies the largest of the C19 plantations, Sidmouth Wood. Begun c 1823, the c 30ha plantation consists mainly of chestnuts, a smaller number of oaks, and a few beeches. The pathway which runs east/west through this plantation is known as the Driftway.

REFERENCES

Richmond Park Historical Survey, (Land Use Consultants 1984) [contains a number of maps and references]

G Williams, The Royal Parks of London (1985), pp 151-72

D Edgar, The Royal Parks (1986), pp 149-59

Maps

E J Eyre, A Plan of His Majesty's New Park at Richmond Surrey, 1754

T Richardson, A Plan of His Majesty's new park called Richmond Park, 1771

Standidge, Plan of the Crown's Richmond Park state and Sudbrook Park in the County of Surrey, 9" to 1 mile

OS 25" to 1 mile:

1st edition published 1864

2nd edition published 1893

1933 edition

OS 10" to 1 mile:

3rd edition published 1911

1926 edition

Description written: June 1998; Amended May 2002

Register Inspector: LCH

Edited: May 2002