Richmond Park - Sightseeing, Monuments, Parks & Gardens, London Parks

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Richmond Park

Richmond, Surrey, TW10 5HS

Riverboats run to Richmond from Kew and Westminster Pier.

Like so many of London's parks, Richmond Park was previously a royal hunting ground. It is still a royal park today and at almost two and a half thousand acres, it is the largest in London.

It was Charles I who turned it into a park, although it wasn't meant for the public, so he had a big wall built around it. Today it is very much a public park and is very popular with families.

The park is most famous for its fallow deer, which roam freely. Being such a big park there are roads running through it and drivers have to take great care to avoid animals. Pedestrians too, are best advised not to approach the deer too closely, especially in the rutting season when male deer can be a bit aggressive.

Features in the park include: the Isabella Plantation, which is renowned for its rhododendrons and has a lovely pebble stream winding its way through it, Pen Ponds, an area of ecological importance, and there are plenty of hills and woods and open spaces. Pembroke Lodge, on the right, just a little way inside the main entrance at Richmond Gate, sells refreshments, and is a great place to stop and admire the view.

The other houses inside the park are private. They are: White Lodge, a 1720's building, which is now used as a ballet school, and Thatched House Lodge, where Princess Alexandra lives.

If you arrive at Richmond by boat, head for Richmond Terrace Gardens, which leads up from the River Thames to Richmond Hill and Richmond Park. It's a steep assent!