Where the river takes on a rural character
Of all the structures that span the Thames within the boundaries of London, Richmond Bridge, opened in 1777, is the oldest and, with its graceful stone arches, one of the most beautiful. It is a starting point for lovely riverside walks. Towards the city centre, the path goes through the historic Old Deer Park to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew. On sunny days, the area to the south of the bridge presents a carefree scene of children feeding ducks and swans. Cyclists and walkers find an array of attractive cafés and pubs with outdoor tables. Rowing boats can be hired, and river steamers take trippers upstream to Hampton Court Palace and downstream to Westminster.
Although this pleasant small-town atmosphere provides a foretaste of the rural charms of the Thames valley further west and gives the impression of being a great distance from the sea, this is in fact still a tidal stretch of the river. The tide reaches Richmond about 45 minutes later than London Bridge and moves a few miles further upstream to Teddington – more than 50 river miles from the estuary.
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Address Richmond-on-Thames, TW9 | Public Transport Richmond (District Line) | Tip Tide Tables under the arches of Richmond Bridge with its outdoor terrace is a recommended café. Up the hill, The Roebuck (130 Richmond Hill) is a traditional pub with a great view from the beer garden.
For a famous view of the Thames valley, leave the riverside at Richmond and ascend Richmond Hill along the road of the same name. The purchasers of houses on this road have acquired a fine prospect from their upper windows and made a rock-solid investment. One of them is Pete Townshend of The Who, who bought The Wick (halfway up on the left) from Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones. The neighbouring Wick House was built in about 1770 for the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds, first president of the Royal Academy. Down to the right are the well-tended flower beds of Terrace Gardens, from where it is not far to the highest point on Richmond Hill. Reynolds and Turner painted the view towards Windsor, which is as impressive today as it was in their time: meadows, trees, and the shining silver Thames.
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