Pope's Grotto *

Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.

Land in Twickenham was acquired by Thomas Vernon from 1700 and by 1718 he owned 6 or 7 properties in Cross Deep. Poet and satirist Alexander Pope (1688-1744) leased 3 adjoining cottages from Vernon, one of which may have been built for him, and he moved there in 1719 with his mother and childhood nurse. He demolished one of the cottages, and part of another, commissioning architect James Gibbs to design a new house on the riverside. He then proceeded to lease further land from Vernon and others for a larger garden. obtaining a licence to create private access between villa and garden by building a tunnel under the road. His garden was designed in the classical style and his villa became a focus for cultural and literary society.

After Pope's death the lease reverted to Vernon. The grotto became the focus for visits, with a plan made by his gardener John Serle in 1745. The villa was sold to Sir William Stanhope, who extended the house and made alterations to the garden, which he surrounded by a wall. He acquired the leases that covered the garden and also purchased additional land to the west where he built a second tunnel under Radnor Road. After Stanhope's death in 1772 the property had a number of private owners and in 1807 was purchased by Baroness Howe, who demolished Pope's Villa, altered the garden and removed much of the grotto's decorative embellishments. She built a new villa to the south, which was itself demolished when the current house was built by Thomas Young, designed by Henry Edward Kendall. This became a convent and later a school. St James Independent School for Boys was here from 1996-2010, and it is now owned by Radnor House School.. In 2005 St James School created a Charitable Trust to 'preserve [the Grotto] for the benefit of the people of Twickenham and of the nation ....', and Pope's Grotto Preservation Trust continued to work to this end before the school left in 2010. A grant from EH has enabled the preparation of detailed options for conservation and restoration. New owner Radnor House School has indicated its support for the restoration project.

What remained of Pope's garden to the west of Cross Deep was divided and partly sold for development, and the area that remained when the convent was here, is now in the separate ownership of another school. The grotto tunnel was lengthened as a result of C20th road widening.