Richmond and Twickenham Riversideby Peter Finch
Start at Richmond station
Station - 1846 as terminus of Richmond & West End Railway from Clapham Junction, site to south. Windsor, Staines & South Western Railway extended line westward, moved station. Both companies part of London & South Western Railway.
1869 L&SWR opened Kensington & Richmond Line on West London Railway. Also used by North London Railway. 1877 District Line from Hammersmith.
Mid-1930s Southern Railway rebuilt it and opened 1937 in current combined form, London Underground and Overground, National Rail. Architect James Robb Scott 1882-1965, Chief Architect Southern Railway. Portland stone, square clock, Art Deco style.
Plaque inside above ticket office records GLC and British Rail renovation 1985, Dave Wetzel chairman GLC Transport Committee.
Memorial paving stone outside – Lieut. General Bernard Frayburg, born Richmond, dentist. VC at the Somme, DSOs Dardenelles. WW2 commanded NZ 2nd Div. at Cassino. Later Gov. General of NZ.
Cross road by pedestrian crossing. Stop entrance of Old Station Passage
Richmond-upon-Thames – only London borough with land both sides of river, so upon rather than on, covering the longest length of the Thames. Urban district combined with Twickenham 1965 after Middx. County Council abolished. GLC then united Richmond, Twickenham & Barnes as LBRUT.
Economy agriculture, then service industries, some light industries since late C19. Dairies, market gardens for locals and London. One farm left at Petersham, owned by National Trust.
Railway Tavern – across road, c1849 originally The Locomotive.
Go down Old Station Passage, at end turn left into Little Green
Richmond Theatre – opened 1899, one of most completely preserved Frank Matcham theatres in Greater London. G2* listed.
Richmond Green – one of biggest village greens in England. Jousting arena for Royal Palace then common land, archery, cricket.
Water fountain – C19 restored 2020.
Right into The Green, left into Friars Lane
Friars Lane – at entrance manhole cover, Bird's of Great Castle Street & Regent Street.
Named after Observant Friars (Franciscan Grey Friars), provided land by Henry VII, dissolved by Henry VIII. Former Palace of Richmond, under Henry VII 1501 on earlier site of royal residencies. Road marks boundary of with Palace of Sheen as it then was until he renamed it Richmond after his earldom in Yorkshire. Some remains on land to the right.
Chapel – on left, site of Lissenium Works of Lissen Ltd, makers of wireless seta, audio transformers etc. 1920s & 30s. Founded by a Mr Cole 1922, taken over by Ever Ready 1930s, wound up after WW2.
Queensberry House – on right, originally Cholmondeley House C18, replace by Queensberry House (after the Marquis), demolished 1937, garden remains, now flats 1932/3. Cast iron water fountain c1830.
North Thames Gas notice – on above building.
Gazebo hexagon-shaped mid C18, bathing platform, next to river, now a house.
Stink pipe left.
Car park - on stables of Cholmondeley House, then Richmond Brewery 1840, then Goldsmith & Sons dyers & cleaners from 1903 to WW1. Then Sichel Adhesives Ltd vegetable and synthetic adhesives until 1965, when bought by Council.
THIS END OF FRIARS LANE AND RIVER PATHS HERE AND ON THE TWICKENHAM BANK CAN FLOOD AT HIGH TIDES. ADVISE CONSULTING PLA WEBSITE. ALTERNATIVE HIGHER ROUTES AVAILABLE.
Air vents on house – bottom Friars Lane on left, high up to avoid flooding.
Cholmondeley Walk – after Earl of C, fashionable walk C18, org.two routes, tradesmen etc nearer river, other for gentry higher.
Bollards – 1777 Act of Parliament allowed City of London Corp. to build tow-path, Kew to Ham, reclaimed land, timber supports, because of landowner opposition.
Right for few yards
Bamber's Steps – on riverside memorial to Bamber Gascoigne whom lived in house nearby and swam from here.
Turn back and left along Walk
Boathouses, 1830 St Helena Terrace above, to mark Napoleon's banishment in 1815.
White Cross - 1720s built as Watermen's Arms, rebuilt 1835, base for halers, who manually pulled vessels along the towpath. Pub can be surrounded at high tides.
Water Works – on left. After complaints about condition and price of water supplied by Southwark & Vauxhall Co. Richmond Boro started own works using old well and bore hole 1870s. Boulton & Watt engine, then electric, ran until 1967 when taken over by Met. Water Board, closed 1980. Present use uncertain.
Water Lane – main route for water-borne goods, drawdock and note sign on corner building marking 1928 flood ; former Collins Brewery then used by water company. Paved cart tracks, angled setts.
Town Wharf – boat houses early C19 for watermen's skiffs. Then summer hire trade became popular, many disputes between watermen over hire stations and rosters. Trade decreased when other attractions such as dog-racing appeared. Hence 'trade gone to the dogs'.
Across river – vessel Sir Charles Inglis, built Cowes 1986 for Hydraulic Research Service, Wallingford, named after civil engineer. Also to right cream ship with masts, Lilian 1916 built 1916 by Pettersson's of Stockholm for Danish banker. Riveted steel. In UK from 1935, houseboat later sea cadet training ship at Windsor, bought by present owners 1980, slowly restored. 75 hp Polar Atlas diesel engines, possibly oldest still working, but now kept ashore,replaced by JCB engines.
Islands – Downstream two Flower Pot Islands and larger Corporation Island, named after new boro 1890. All owned by Council.
Richmond Riverside – buildings on left, development 1984-87 by Quinlan Terry for Haslemere Estates. Inspired by C19 architecture, using all of the traditional orders. Some earlier buildings retained.
College Barge – on right in river former Jesus College, Oxford rowing club barge 1895, now café and moorings.
Boathouses – c 1850, brick giving damp cool condition for storing boats, one Richmond Bridge Boathouse, owned by master boat-builder Mark Edwards, known for Gloriana, Queen's Row Barge for Diamond Jubilee and many others including watermen's cutters.
Up stairs to bridge and go across
Richmond Bridge - ferry across Twickenham since at least 1442. Towards end of C18 locals became discontented with it because of steep approach on Richmond side, unsuitable for laden vehicles and which, in times of flood or frost did not operate at all.
Eventually led to 1773 Act of Parliament allowing bridge, to be of stone and on ferry site. Designed by James Pane in collaboration with Kenton Couse, builder Thomas Ker. Funded by a tontine. Opened 12 Jan 1777. 5 main arches, masonry faced by Portland stone, tolls removed 1859. Widened 1938 by Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Co using original facing stones.
Left into Willoughby Road
– left Caen Lodge, now Willoughby House c 1840, for Lord W. Road was path past his paddock, river view.
Boro of Twickenham manhole cover.
Duck's Walk – at Riverdale Gardens, plaque to Charles Lightoller hero of Titanic disaster, his boatyard at river.
The Elms – large white house before bridge, orig. railings.
Richmond Railway Bridge – carries SW Trains between Richmond and St. Margaret's stations. Line built by Richmond Railway Co. from London & South Western Railway line at Battersea, opened 1846. In 1847 Windsor, Staines & South Western Railway Co. obtained Act to extend line to Twickenham, Staines and Datchet, 1848 extended to Windsor.
Designed by Joseph Locke, built by Thomas Brassey, 3 cast iron ribbed arches, eastern end brick approach viaduct of 7 arches. Replaced 1908 with one of similar appearance, mild steel, designed by Jacomb Hood, Locke's successor as L&SWR Engineer. Built by Horsley Bridge Co. see sign. Locke's piers remain.
Thames water turret left – head house of Met. Board of Works tunnel for water main from Hampton, another on other side of river. Now Thames Water.
Remains of Birmingham short boat – in river, double-ended probably used for coal.
Old Deer Park – across the river, originally hunting ground for palace before Richmond Park enclosed. Obelisk is a marker for true north point by which to align telescope to Kew Observatory, built for Geo. III to view transit of Venus 1769.
Twickenham Bridge – second of two new crossings of river needed when A316 built, other Chiswick, also required Hampton Court Bridge to be replaced, all opened July 1933.
Designed by Alfred Dryland, Middx. County Engineer, in association with Maxwell Ayrton. Contractors Aubrey Watson Ltd., foundations mass concrete built in sheet steel cofferdams, five spans of reinforced concrete bush-hammered to give rough finish. Hinges allow river arches adjust to temperature changes, with expansion joints in deck and elsewhere. Bronze balustrades and lamps. Arches ride on bitumen-coated compressed cork. First 3-hinged concrete arch bridge in UK.
Richmond Lock & Footbridge – In latter half of C19 Richmond Vestry and Twickenham Local Board campaigned for a lock here due to state of river after Old London Bridge was removed 1832, with building of other bridges, the Embankments and dredging led to tidal water flowing downstream more quickly and exposing great areas of mud at low tides. Combined with increased upriver water abstraction. They learnt of sluices patented by FGM Storey that with a pound lock and boat rollers could provide a barrier for maintaining a depth of water upstream of at least the half-tide level without unduly hindering navigation.
Opposition from many including barge owners and the Thames Conservancy but eventually overcome with the 1890 Richmond Footbridge, Sluice, Lock & Slipway Act.
Designed by James More, Thames Conservancy Engineer, sluices built by Ransomes & Rapier of Ipswich where Storey was manager. Sluices lowered first on 17 May 1894, opened 2 days later, run by TC, now successor the PLA from 1908.
5 openings – 3 at centre for counter-balanced wrought iron sluices, 1 at Surrey bank for lock and 1 at Middx.for boat rollers. Openings between abutments and piers spanned by pairs of steel arches with cast-iron spandrels which support footbridges. Originally sluices operated manually now electric powered. Usually kept lowered with passage through lock, with toll levied, raised 2 hours before high tide and closed 2 hours after high tide to allow passage. Staffed 24 hours. WW2 bomb damage, various renovations since. At first 1 penny toll to cross bridge, but 2 pence for those going onto and leaving from same side.
Annual draw-off October/November for a month when sluices remain open, to allow for repairs, attention to river walls and river can be seen at its original low tide condition.
The Boathouse – house on left. Built late 1960s as redevelopment of Sims Boatyard, with studios and sound rooms, with offices and residential quarters retained by the yard. In late 1970s dilapidated, bought by Pete Townshend of The Who, to house his Eel Pie Studios. He and Delia de Leon, a disciple of Meher Baba, then started MB Film Archive under name of MB Oceanic Centre, with studios known as Oceanic Studios. Then used in '90s by band Cocteau Twins and then the Lightning Seeds. PT sold it in 2008, various planning applications since, current position unknown. River side barge beds and remains of pontoon.
Gordon House – on left. 1718, much altered. Robert Adam designed drawing room, first commission in England. Bought by Earl of Kilmorney 1851, much renovation work, including the Victorian façade. NB letter K on building at end. Family sold to Gordon House Industrial Home for Girls, then 1922 Royal Naval School, then Maria Grey teacher training college, West London Institute of Higher Education, then taken over by Brunel Uni, sold 2005. Now housing.
Railshead – medieval lords owned fishing weirs and one nearby had stakes (rails) at upper end.
Thistleworth = Isleworth.
Left along Railhead Road, right at end on Richmond Road
River Crane – boundary with LB of Hounslow. Water mills, linseed oil, oilcake, gunpowder.
Right though arch in wall
Isleworth Ait – only access by boat. London Wildlife Trust leases from Thames Water who release treated effluent from Mogden Works under the island. Once osier beds, working boatyards with 2 remaining, Wood's and Colliers. Crane still in use.
Isleworth House – to left, c 1833, taken over by Poor Sisters of Nazareth, for orphanage and residential home for elderly, re-developed, now flats, exterior wall retained.
Old Isleworth – Lion Wharf – coal unloaded.
Barge Cattja – Dutch, in trade then bought by charity Connect FMH, now run by Friends of Cattja, equipped as wood workshop making furniture, sculpture.
Town Wharf – aka Taylor's Wharf – H. Taylor & Son building materials and general wharfingers using from 1900 ships from Holland and Scandinavia, barges with coal from NE Coast, closed 1973, some scrap cargoes for time afterwards. Crane remains.
Duke of Northumberland's River – man made watercourse 1540s to increase water power for mills using water from Rivers Crane and Colne. Traces of cill and lock gate at entrance from Thames, lock gate and steps at other end. Entry for barges going through to Kidd's Mill until 1930s.
Cross Church Street
Kidd's Mill – one of the largest flour mills in England, with 2 steam engines by 1840s, modernised 1894, from stone to roller mill. Demolished 1941. Mooring rings in basin.
Right along Church Street
Isleworth manhole cover.
All Saints Church – tower C14, church had arson attack 1943, boys not bombers. Rebuilt.
PLA Drying out posts – for working on boats at low tide.
London Apprentice pub – Tudor origins, rebuilt early C18, legend that apprentice watermen rowed here to celebrate becoming journeymen.
Isleworth Stairs – access to ferry, the only way from Isleworth to Richmond before bridge built.
Syon Park Boathouse.
Return along Church Street to Lower Square
Lower Square, c 1630s, facing is former Charity Boarding School for Girls, then boys, current building 1841 as Isleworth Parochial School, top floor, ground for covered playground and later housed fire engine.
John Day House - C18, family of surgeons and doctors.
Northumberland House – once a pub Northumberland Arms, closed 1982. Other pubs on way to South Street, buses back to Richmond.
© GLIAS, 2024