Description
Pesthouse Common was part of the extensive common land in this area, its name suggesting a connection with a plague hospital. In 1785 King George III gave the parish certain parts of Pesthouse Common as compensation for shutting public rights of way up Love Lane when he was improving Richmond Park. Mature lime and horse chestnut trees border the site.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Pest House Common |
|---|---|
| Site location | Queen's Road, Richmond |
| Postcode | TW10 6HF |
| What3Words | ///winks.manliness.tides |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Richmond |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: North Sheen. Bus: 317 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ190747 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Richmond, as Trustees of the Richmond Parish Lands Charity |
| 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 (CL66) |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Richmond |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance (with E Sheen & Richmd Cem) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Hickey's Almshouses were designed by architect Louis Vulliamy, a range of neo-Tudor style buildings with very high chimneys. At the front is a porter's lodge, built 1850-3 and substantial railings form the boundary with Sheen Road. A plaque over the entrance records that the almshouses were built 'for ten poor men and ten poor women by the bounty of William Hickey Esq. who by his Will bequeathed certain Lands and Houses in Richmond in Trust for Charitable Purposes'. Hickey (d.1728) is buried in the churchyard of Richmond Parish Church of St Mary. The almshouses are set back behind a large garden of lawns with a few trees. A central path leads from the entrance gate and continues around the perimeter, with some flowers planted inside the lodge entrance.
The site is shown in 1893/4 as woodland and opened as Barnes Cemetery in 1905. In 1913 the northern triangular section of the site was laid out as the cemetery while to the south was a nursery. The cemetery is linked to the main road to the north by an avenue of plane trees, with a lodge at the entrance and a mortuary chapel on the south boundary. In the 1930s the area to the south of Barnes Cemetery was laid out on a grid and the cemetery was subsequently renamed East Sheen Cemetery. Although it now forms a continuous area of graves with Richmond Cemetery, the old Barnes Cemetery boundary is still clearly defined by a holly hedge. The cemetery contains various fine trees, clumps of pampas grass, with yews behind the chapel and on either side of the main roadway between the entrance on Kings Ride Gardens and the chapel.
The cemetery appears to have originated in c.1786 as a small burial plot donated by King George III, who also endowed the workhouse nearby. In 1853 steps were taken to acquire the cemetery for municipal use, although Richmond Burial Board was not formed until 1868. Between 1868 and 1890 the cemetery was enlarged several times, with further extensions in 1898 and 1902. Adjacent and contiguous with Richmond Cemetery is East Sheen Cemetery. The cemetery contains numerous mature trees including yew and cypress, particularly in the older part, and the more open grassed area is surrounded by horse chestnuts, lime, false acacia and ash, with yew and holly throughout. There are numerous interesting tombs commemorating people in all walks of life, including a number of local and national dignitaries.