Description
Kenilworth Court is an Edwardian red-brick and terracotta mansion block of 150 flats in 'exuberant Northern Renaissance/Queen Anne style', which was aimed at professional people and families. A grand entrance arch off Lower Richmond Road leads to an internal courtyard overlooked by the blocks laid out with a communal garden, landscaped with lawns, shrub and flower beds, and an ornamental fountain. The garden was used for vegetable growing during WWII. There were formerly tennis courts in the courtyard, but these later gave way to parking spaces.
Practical Information
| Site location | Lower Richmond Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW15 1EW |
| What3Words | ///honey.sugars.strike |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Tube: Putney Bridge (District). Rail: Putney. Bus: 14, 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220, 265, 270 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Originally let as rented accommodation, between the 1950s and '70s, the residents gradually acquired their individual leases and later jointly acquired the freehold of the whole property. It is now owned and managed by Kenilworth Court Co-ownership Housing Association Ltd.
There have been a number of notable residents, some of whom are recognised with Blue Plaques or Putney Society plaques. They include artist Cyril Power who founded the Grosvenor School of Modern Art; novelist William Cooper, and poet Gavin Ewart. The King of Romania Carol II (1893-53) lived here when he was in London during his reign, which ran from 1930-1940. Labour MP Hugh Jenkins (1908-2004) also lived here; he was MP for Putney from 1964-79, and Minister for the Arts, and later Baron Jenkins of Putney. The 'Father of Modern Ventroloquism', Fred Russell, lived in Flat 71 from 1914-26; who is credited as the first to use a knee-sitting dummy.Another former resident was Jaroslav Drobny (1921-2001), who was World No. 1 amateur tennis champion.
There have been a number of notable residents, some of whom are recognised with Blue Plaques or Putney Society plaques. They include artist Cyril Power who founded the Grosvenor School of Modern Art; novelist William Cooper, and poet Gavin Ewart. The King of Romania Carol II (1893-53) lived here when he was in London during his reign, which ran from 1930-1940. Labour MP Hugh Jenkins (1908-2004) also lived here; he was MP for Putney from 1964-79, and Minister for the Arts, and later Baron Jenkins of Putney. The 'Father of Modern Ventroloquism', Fred Russell, lived in Flat 71 from 1914-26; who is credited as the first to use a knee-sitting dummy.Another former resident was Jaroslav Drobny (1921-2001), who was World No. 1 amateur tennis champion.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ240756 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.46 |
| Site Ownership | Kenilworth Court Co-ownership Housing Association Ltd |
| Site Management | Kenilworth Court Co-ownership Housing Association Ltd |
| Dates | early C20th |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Wandsworth |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Putney Embankment |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Putney Bridge Shrubbery at the south-west corner of Putney Bridge was formed on land purchased in connection with the erection of Putney Bridge in 1882-6 by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, which replaced an earlier bridge of 1727-9. The site is railed with grass, trees and shrubs. It was formerly the responsibility of the LCC and later passed to LB Wandsworth. It is deemed too small to be open to the public. In c.2004 it was renamed Waterman's Green.
There has been a church on the site since at least the C13th and parts of the medieval church of St Mary the Virgin survive in the present church. The old parish of Putney extended from the Thames to Tibbet's Corner on Putney Heath in the south, with Beverley Brook to the west and Deodar Road its eastern boundary. The church played an important role in the Civil War when Cromwell's army was located at Putney and the Army Council held meetings here. The churchyard is smaller than it once was as a result of land taken for the first and second Putney Bridges. Tombstones have been moved and piled in one corner of the churchyard apart from one railed chest tomb by the Putney Bridge boundary, and there is a war memorial. The churchyard railings date from mid C19th.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Pryor's Bank house and garden was sold by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to Fulham Vestry in 1894. The river wall was extended to the bridge and the area was cleared and laid out to extend Bishop's Park. A refreshment pavilion was built on the site of the house and the garden opened in 1900. The east garden contains a fountain and modern statuary and to the west of the house are rising formal terraces with rose gardens and a memorial to local residents who fought in the Spanish Civil War in 1936-39.
Pryor's Bank house and garden was sold by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to Fulham Vestry in 1894. The river wall was extended to the bridge and the area was cleared and laid out to extend Bishop's Park. A refreshment pavilion was built on the site of the house and the garden opened in 1900. The east garden contains a fountain and modern statuary and to the west of the house are rising formal terraces with rose gardens and a memorial to local residents who fought in the Spanish Civil War in 1936-39.