Description
Palewell Common is part of the extensive common lands that existed before the enclosure of Richmond Park, from which it is separated by a brick wall. Part of the common is wooded, the rest is playing fields and tennis courts. To the north and separated by a road, a children's paddling pool marked the site of the Pale Well, which was surrounded by mature plane trees.
Practical Information
| Site location | Palewell Common Drive/Enmore Gardens, Sheen |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW14 8RF |
| What3Words | ///steep.metro.jumps |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Richmond |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Play areas, café, toilets, tennis, cricket and football pitches, pitch and putt, Pétanque Piste (boules on hire at the golf kiosk). Nature trail in woods |
| Public Transport | Rail: Mortlake then bus. Bus 33, 337 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ208747 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Richmond |
| Site Management | Environment Planning & Review, Parks and Open Spaces |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | Yes: Common (CL62) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Richmond |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Metropolitan Importance (with Richmond Pk) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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
The Bank of England Sports Ground at Roehampton has provided sports facilities for the Bank of England since the early 1900s, but membership is now open to the public. The Sports Centre is the host of the Wimbledon Qualifying tournament and is next door to the newly built National Tennis Centre. In 1933, a stump of the old lime tree in the Bank of England Garden Court (q.v.) in the City was replanted in the Bank's Sports Ground in Roehampton, and in May 1944 it was reported in the Bank's Archives as showing signs of flourishing. This tree may have originated from the early days of the garden as when it was cut down its rings indicated it was around 128 years old.
Templeton was built in the late C18th with a new east range added to the house between 1865-94, and later alterations to the south front undertaken for Lady Wimborne, who owned the house in the early C20th. It was built on land of the former estate of Roehampton Park, which was broken up by Thomas Parker, and got its name from its first occupant, Lady Elizabeth Templetown. It had a number of illustrious private owners and in 1930 became a hall of residence for the Froebel Institute. The grounds were once more extensive but in 1932 Roehampton Gate and Roedean Crescent were built over part of the estate. It has a carriage drive to the entrance and formal gardens to the rear.
The Priory was one of a number of villas built on the northern part of Roehampton Park after the estate was broken up between 1770-88. Roehampton had become a popular place for the wealthy to build country retreats in the C18th, attracted by the healthy and beautifaul sitution, the attraction no doubt enhanced by the fact that 'adjacent villas being inhabited by families of fashion and distinction' (George Richardson referring to Dover House in 1810). In the latter part of the C19th this exclusivity waned as suburban development was encouraged by the opening of the railways and a number of former villas became institutions of one sort of another. The Priory has been a private nursing home since 1871.