Down by the River
The picturesque stretch of the Thames between Richmond and Hampton Court has provided refuge from the bustle of London life for centuries. After attracting the patronage of the Tudor royals – their legacy is preserved in the jaw-dropping magnificence of Hampton Court Palace – the area became a fashionable retreat for the city’s nobility, who built grand houses along its riverbanks. By the mid-18th century, poets and artists were likening it to Arcadia, the pastoral Utopia of ancient Greece. In the 19th century, the riverside was opened up for all to enjoy, and today a stroll through this verdant slice of the city ranks high on any Londoner’s list of soul-quenching urban escapes.
Just 15 miles upstream from central London (15 minutes by train), well-to-do Richmond owes its name to Henry VII, who erected a sumptuous royal palace on the river and christened it after his Yorkshire earldom. Richmond Palace was a favourite winter residence of Elizabeth I, who died here in 1603 – her body was carried downriver to Westminster
