Description
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
In medieval times this was common land in the royal manor known as Hill Common, even then renowned for its views. There was a seat overlooking the view by the mid C17th and Richmond Terrace Walk was laid out c.1700. Between 1765-75 the top of the hill was developed further and in the 1770s the Terrace Walk was extended. From the early C17th there were brickworks below Terrace Walk. When they closed in 1767 part of the north-west area was taken for private gardens, but the local vestry successfully petitioned King George III to prevent development on the remainder and 3.65 hectares of grazed meadow were given as part of the royal bounty, and became known as Terrace Field. In 1902, an Act of Parliament preserved the view from Richmond Hill.
In medieval times this was common land in the royal manor known as Hill Common, even then renowned for its views. There was a seat overlooking the view by the mid C17th and Richmond Terrace Walk was laid out c.1700. Between 1765-75 the top of the hill was developed further and in the 1770s the Terrace Walk was extended. From the early C17th there were brickworks below Terrace Walk. When they closed in 1767 part of the north-west area was taken for private gardens, but the local vestry successfully petitioned King George III to prevent development on the remainder and 3.65 hectares of grazed meadow were given as part of the royal bounty, and became known as Terrace Field. In 1902, an Act of Parliament preserved the view from Richmond Hill.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Hill Common |
|---|---|
| Site location | Petersham Road/Richmond Hill |
| Postcode | TW10 6UZ |
| What3Words | ///kind.ties.cuts |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Richmond |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail/London Overground/Tube (District): Richmond then bus. Bus: 65. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2015 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
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.
In medieval times this area was common land in the royal Manor and Richmond Hill was known as Hill Common, even then renowned for its views over the Thames, and the inspiration of poets. A seat had been placed overlooking the view by the mid C17th and Richmond Terrace Walk was laid out c.1700 when the area was being improved and had a double row of pleached trees overlooking the view behind which substantial houses, 1-3 The Terrace, were built. In the C18th, an early admirer of the view from Terrace Walk was Joseph Addison whose influential articles entitled 'Pleasures of the Imagination' published in The Spectator in 1712 appeared at a time when the cult of landscape appreciation was growing. Since then visitors from England and abroad have admired the prospect including writers and painters, among them such artists as Reynolds, Turner, Kokoschka.
Between 1765-75 the top of the hill was developed further with fashionable houses and in the 1770s, through the generosity of Queen Charlotte who was Lady of the Manor, the Terrace Walk was extended south from the present Nightingale Lane to the Star and Garter Servicemen's Home, just north of the Richmond Gate to Richmond Park (q.v.). The area enjoyed great popularity through the C19th.
Part of the riverside below the Terrace Walk was brickworks from the early C17th including the area that is now Terrace Field; the Tile Kilns here were closed in 1767 and part of the area to the north-west was developed as the gardens of Montagu, later called Buccleuch, House, now the site of Buccleuch Gardens (q.v.). Closure of the Tile Kilns prompted the local Vestry to petition King George III to prevent development on this land, which resulted in an Act of Parliament in 1785 whereby 9 acres of grazed meadow from the Terrace down to the Petersham Road was given to the Vestry as part of the royal bounty, and became known as Terrace Field.
In 1902 an Act of Parliament preserved the view from Richmond Hill, the first time a landscape view had been legally protected. The RSPCA fountain, designed by T E Collcutt near the south end of the Terrace Walk, was erected in 1892 for the benefit of horses toiling up the hill; it was restored for the Coronation in 1937. Today Terrace Walk is c10m wide and laid to gravel with numerous seats and divided from the road by a stone wall with iron railings. It is lined with an avenue of mixed trees including horse chestnuts, limes and American oaks and a privet hedge along the top of the west edge above Terrace Field. In the north the Walk overlooks Terrace Gardens (q.v.), which are adjacent to Terrace Field.
In medieval times this area was common land in the royal Manor and Richmond Hill was known as Hill Common, even then renowned for its views over the Thames, and the inspiration of poets. A seat had been placed overlooking the view by the mid C17th and Richmond Terrace Walk was laid out c.1700 when the area was being improved and had a double row of pleached trees overlooking the view behind which substantial houses, 1-3 The Terrace, were built. In the C18th, an early admirer of the view from Terrace Walk was Joseph Addison whose influential articles entitled 'Pleasures of the Imagination' published in The Spectator in 1712 appeared at a time when the cult of landscape appreciation was growing. Since then visitors from England and abroad have admired the prospect including writers and painters, among them such artists as Reynolds, Turner, Kokoschka.
Between 1765-75 the top of the hill was developed further with fashionable houses and in the 1770s, through the generosity of Queen Charlotte who was Lady of the Manor, the Terrace Walk was extended south from the present Nightingale Lane to the Star and Garter Servicemen's Home, just north of the Richmond Gate to Richmond Park (q.v.). The area enjoyed great popularity through the C19th.
Part of the riverside below the Terrace Walk was brickworks from the early C17th including the area that is now Terrace Field; the Tile Kilns here were closed in 1767 and part of the area to the north-west was developed as the gardens of Montagu, later called Buccleuch, House, now the site of Buccleuch Gardens (q.v.). Closure of the Tile Kilns prompted the local Vestry to petition King George III to prevent development on this land, which resulted in an Act of Parliament in 1785 whereby 9 acres of grazed meadow from the Terrace down to the Petersham Road was given to the Vestry as part of the royal bounty, and became known as Terrace Field.
In 1902 an Act of Parliament preserved the view from Richmond Hill, the first time a landscape view had been legally protected. The RSPCA fountain, designed by T E Collcutt near the south end of the Terrace Walk, was erected in 1892 for the benefit of horses toiling up the hill; it was restored for the Coronation in 1937. Today Terrace Walk is c10m wide and laid to gravel with numerous seats and divided from the road by a stone wall with iron railings. It is lined with an avenue of mixed trees including horse chestnuts, limes and American oaks and a privet hedge along the top of the west edge above Terrace Field. In the north the Walk overlooks Terrace Gardens (q.v.), which are adjacent to Terrace Field.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ182739 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Richmond |
| Site Management | Environment Planning and Review, Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | c.1700 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | Yes |
| NHLE grade | Grade II* |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Richmond |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Richmond Hill |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Thames Policy 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
Richmond University was originally built as the Southern Branch of the Theological Institution, which opened here in 1843. From 1869-85 it became a Methodist training school for missionaries. During WWI it housed Westminster Training College and later became the administrative headquarters of the University of London. The college closed in 1972 and was sold in 1976 to become the London campus of the American Institute for Foreign Study, later named Richmond University, The American International University in London. The C19th college is an imposing building overlooking lawns, with shrubbery and mature trees that form its setting. Originally the college grounds were larger but when it ceased to be used as a Methodist training school, the site was reduced in size. The American University vacated the site in 2022, moving to a new campus in Chiswick, and the property is currently offered for sale.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
This was formerly part of Hill Common where there were tile kilns from c1630-1767. From 1765 the Duke of Montagu acquired land here to extend the pleasure grounds of his mid C18th riverside house, linking the two parts by a subterranean tunnel that still links Terrace and Buccleuch Gardens. The estate was inherited by his daughter, and in 1827 by her grandson the 5th Duke of Buccleuch, who further extended the ornamental gardens and was famous for his fetes entertaining royalty and other dignitaries. In 1886 his son sold the properties to Richmond Vestry and Terrace Gardens was opened in 1887 by HRH Princess Mary Adelaide. The layout of that time is essentially the same today and Terrace Gardens became famous for its seasonal bedding, rockery, shrubberies, and rose garden. Buccleuch Gardens, the site of the Duke's house, remained a private estate until 1937 when Richmond Council bought back the property; the mansion was demolished and the gardens opened to the public. It forms a narrow strip along the river with a path now part of the Thames Path.
This was formerly part of Hill Common where there were tile kilns from c1630-1767. From 1765 the Duke of Montagu acquired land here to extend the pleasure grounds of his mid C18th riverside house, linking the two parts by a subterranean tunnel that still links Terrace and Buccleuch Gardens. The estate was inherited by his daughter, and in 1827 by her grandson the 5th Duke of Buccleuch, who further extended the ornamental gardens and was famous for his fetes entertaining royalty and other dignitaries. In 1886 his son sold the properties to Richmond Vestry and Terrace Gardens was opened in 1887 by HRH Princess Mary Adelaide. The layout of that time is essentially the same today and Terrace Gardens became famous for its seasonal bedding, rockery, shrubberies, and rose garden. Buccleuch Gardens, the site of the Duke's house, remained a private estate until 1937 when Richmond Council bought back the property; the mansion was demolished and the gardens opened to the public. It forms a narrow strip along the river with a path now part of the Thames Path.
Petersham Common slopes steeply down to the west towards Petersham Meadows and the River Thames. Formerly land within the manor of Petersham long held by the Earls of Dysart, in 1902 the freehold of Petersham Common was transferred to Richmond Town Council, under the Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act 1902. The 9th Earl of Dysart specified that it was to be managed by Petersham Common Conservators, and this continues to be the case. The common is now conserved woodland.