Richmond

History

The area was known in the medieval period as Shene, a name first recorded (as Sceon) in the 10th century, and which survives in the neighbouring districts of East Sheen (also known as Sheen) and North Sheen. The manor entered royal hands, and the manor house eventually became known as Sheen Palace, before being largely destroyed by fire in 1497. Henry VII rebuilt it and in 1501 named it Richmond Palace, in allusion to his earldom of Richmond and his ancestral honour of Richmond in Yorkshire. The associated settlement took the same name, although for some years the two names were often used in conjunction (for example, "Shene otherwise called Richemount"). Henry I lived briefly in the King's house in "Sheanes". In 1299, Edward I, the "Hammer of the Scots", took his whole court to the manor house at Sheen, a little east of the bridge and on the riverside, and it thus became a royal residence; William Wallace was executed in London in 1305, and it was in Sheen that the Commissioners from Scotland went down on their knees before Edward. Edward II, following his defeat by the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, 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. Edward later spent over £2,000 on improvements but, in the middle of the work, Edward himself died at the manor, in 1377. Richard II was the first English king to make Sheen his main residence, which he did in 1383. Twelve years later, Richard was so distraught at the death of his wife Anne of Bohemia at the age of 28 that, according to the 16th-century English chronicler Raphael Holinshed, he "caused it [the manor] to be thrown down and defaced; whereas the former kings of this land, being wearie of the citie, used…

Geography

Richmond sits opposite East Twickenham on what is technically the south bank of the River Thames but, because of the bends of the river, the town is immediately north and north-east of its nearest stretch of river. The Thames curves around the town, and then Kew, in its course; starting from Petersham, it returns to a more direct west–east direction. The river is still tidal at Richmond, so, to allow major passenger and goods traffic to continue to operate during low tide, a half-tide lock was opened in 1894 and is used when the adjacent weir is in position. This weir ensures that there is always a minimum depth of water of toward the middle of the river between Richmond and Teddington, whatever the state of the tide. At the lock and weir there is a footbridge across the river. Richmond is well endowed with green and open spaces accessible to the public. At the heart of the town sits Richmond Green, which is roughly square in shape and together with the Little Green, a smaller green space stretching from its south-east corner, is in area. The Green is surrounded by well-used metalled roads that provide a fair amount of vehicle parking for both residents and visitors. The south corner leads into the main shopping area of the town; at the west corner is the old gatehouse which leads through to other remaining buildings of Richmond Palace; at the north corner is pedestrian access to Old Deer Park (plus vehicle access for municipal use). Old Deer Park is a Crown Estate landscape extending from the town along the riverside as far as the boundary with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This contains wide green lawns and sports facilities, and the Grade I listed former King's Observatory erected for George III in 1769. The town's main…

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  72,472
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  67,957
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  66,301
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  63,986
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  60,677
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  58,928
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  53,855
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  53,391

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2020-09-22
  5 km N of Aylesbury, United Kingdom
• M 3.9 — 2020-09-08
  2 km WSW of Pitstone, United Kingdom
• M 3.3 — 2019-02-27
  3 km SE of Dorking, United Kingdom
• M 2.8 — 2018-07-05
  1 km S of Ewhurst, United Kingdom
• M 2.6 — 2018-06-27
  5 km W of Capel, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2018-04-01
  4 km E of Holmwood, United Kingdom