The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is a cool area in southwest London, England. It's special because it's the only London borough that sits on both sides of the River Thames.

This borough was created in 1965. Three smaller local areas joined together to form it. Today, it's run by the Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council. Around 198,000 people live here. Some of the main towns and areas include Barnes, Kew, Richmond, and Twickenham.

Richmond upon Thames is home to Richmond Park, which is the biggest park in London. You can also find important places like the National Physical Laboratory and The National Archives here. Famous attractions like Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace, and Twickenham Stadium are also within its borders. These places attract many visitors from both the UK and other countries. In 2023, a study called it the "happiest place to live in Great Britain"! This was the first time a London borough got the top spot.

History of Richmond upon Thames

There was a town called Richmond that became a borough way back in 1890. It grew bigger in 1892, adding places like Kew and Petersham. It grew again in 1933 to include Ham.

The current, larger London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was formed in 1965. This happened because of a law called the London Government Act 1963. It combined the old Richmond borough with two nearby areas: Municipal Borough of Barnes and Municipal Borough of Twickenham. Before this, Barnes and Richmond were in Surrey, and Twickenham was in Middlesex. All these areas became part of Greater London and formed one of the 32 London boroughs. The new borough was named 'Richmond upon Thames' to show it's different from the older Richmond borough. It's still the only London borough that crosses the River Thames.

Exploring Richmond's Geography

Hampton Court Palace is a famous landmark in the borough.

About half of the borough is made up of beautiful parkland. Some of the most famous parks include Richmond Park, Bushy Park, and Kew Gardens. There are over 100 parks and open spaces here. Plus, there are 21 miles (34 km) of riverfront along the Thames! A large part of the borough is also protected as part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.

Most of the other land is used for homes. Businesses in the area are mostly shops, property services, and professional services. Some parts of the borough, like Barnes and Richmond, have some of the highest house prices in Outer London.

Isabella Plantation is a beautiful garden within Richmond Park.

The borough is home to the National Physical Laboratory. It also has popular attractions like Hampton Court Palace, Twickenham Stadium, and the WWT London Wetlands Centre. These places bring in many visitors from all over the world.

The River Thames gets narrower as it flows into the borough. It also stops being tidal (meaning its water level doesn't change with the ocean tides) at Teddington Lock. The river mostly flows from south to north through more than half of the borough.

Douglas House in Petersham is home to the German School London.

Many German businesses and people living in London are based in this borough. This is because the German School London (DSL) is located here.

Richmond upon Thames Climate

Climate data for Kew Gardens (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8.6 (47.5)	9.2 (48.6)	11.9 (53.4)	15.1 (59.2)	18.4 (65.1)	21.4 (70.5)	23.8 (74.8)	23.4 (74.1)	20.3 (68.5)	16.0 (60.8)	11.6 (52.9)	8.9 (48.0)	15.7 (60.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2.0 (35.6)	2.0 (35.6)	3.5 (38.3)	5.1 (41.2)	8.2 (46.8)	11.0 (51.8)	13.2 (55.8)	13.0 (55.4)	10.5 (50.9)	7.8 (46.0)	4.3 (39.7)	2.3 (36.1)	6.9 (44.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	59.9 (2.36)	45.4 (1.79)	39.0 (1.54)	43.6 (1.72)	44.6 (1.76)	49.7 (1.96)	45.2 (1.78)	55.1 (2.17)	51.9 (2.04)	67.9 (2.67)	66.0 (2.60)	59.2 (2.33)	627.5 (24.70)
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm)	11.8	9.9	8.9	8.6	8.3	8.5	7.6	8.4	8.4	10.9	11.3	11.2	113.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours	60.2	80.7	128.0	181.0	213.4	209.8	221.9	206.5	152.0	117.4	69.7	52.7	1,693.2
Source: Met Office

Neighbourhoods of Richmond upon Thames

The local council divides the borough into fourteen areas, or "villages." These areas don't always match the official political areas or postcode zones. There are four main post towns in the borough: Hampton, Richmond, Teddington, and Twickenham. Some parts of the borough are also covered by the London post town, like Barnes. While most addresses have TW postcodes, some have SW and KT postcodes.

Neighbourhood or "village"	Associated postal districts	Associated political wards	Sub-areas
Barnes	London SW13	Barnes; Mortlake and Barnes Common	Castelnau, Barnes Common, Barnes Bridge, Barnes Village
East Sheen	London SW14, London SW15, Richmond TW10	East Sheen	Richmond Park
Ham and Petersham	Kingston KT2, Richmond TW10	Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside	Ham, Petersham
Hampton	Hampton TW12, East Molesey KT8	Hampton; Hampton North
Hampton Hill	Teddington TW11, Hampton TW12	Fulwell and Hampton Hill	Fulwell
Hampton Wick	Kingston KT1, Teddington TW11	Hampton Wick
Kew	Richmond TW9, Richmond TW10, London SW14	Kew	Kew Green, Kew Bridge
Mortlake	London SW15, London SW14	Mortlake and Barnes Common	Chiswick Bridge
North Twickenham and East Whitton	Twickenham TW1, Twickenham TW2, Hounslow TW3	St Margarets and North Twickenham; Whitton	Cole Park, Stadium Village
Richmond and Richmond Hill	Richmond TW9, Richmond TW10	South Richmond; North Richmond
Strawberry Hill	Twickenham TW1	South Twickenham; Teddington
St Margarets and East Twickenham	Twickenham TW1, Twickenham TW2, Isleworth TW7	St Margarets	St Margarets
Teddington	Teddington, TW11	Teddington	Fulwell
Twickenham	Twickenham TW1, Twickenham TW2	Twickenham Riverside; South Twickenham; West Twickenham	Twickenham Green, Fulwell
Whitton and Heathfield	Twickenham TW2, Whitton, Hounslow TW3 & TW4, Isleworth TW7	Whitton; Heathfield	Whitton, Heathfield

A view from Richmond Hill over the Terrace Gardens.

An aerial view of Richmond and East Twickenham.

How Richmond is Governed

York House, Twickenham is where the Council meets.

The local government for the borough is the Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council. The council members meet at York House in Twickenham. Their main offices are next door at the Civic Centre.

Representing Richmond in London

Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly, the borough is part of the South West area. This area is currently represented by Gareth Roberts. The London Assembly helps make decisions for all of London.

Richmond's Parliament Members

The borough is divided into three areas for electing Members of Parliament (MPs). MPs represent the people in the UK Parliament.

The area south of the River Thames is part of the Richmond Park constituency. This area also includes some parts of the nearby borough of Kingston.
Most of the area north of the river forms the Twickenham constituency.
Since the 2024 general election, the northernmost part of the borough, Whitton, is now part of the Brentford and Isleworth constituency. The rest of this constituency is in the London Borough of Hounslow.

Before 2024, the entire area north of the Thames was part of the Twickenham constituency since 1997.

Constituency	Member of Parliament	Political affiliation	Elected
Richmond Park	Sarah Olney	Liberal Democrats	2019
Twickenham	Munira Wilson	Liberal Democrats	2019
Brentford and Isleworth	Ruth Cadbury	Labour Party	2015

People and Population (Demography)

This graph shows the age groups of people living in Richmond upon Thames.

In 2006, a study found that Richmond upon Thames had the best quality of life in London. It was also among the top areas in the whole country.

Richmond is known as one of London's wealthiest boroughs. It has the lowest rates of poverty, child poverty, and low pay compared to other London boroughs. It also has fewer adults without higher qualifications. However, like all places, it has some areas with more challenges.

Ethnic Diversity in Richmond

Ethnic group	Year
	1971 estimations		1981 estimations		1991 census		2001 census		2011 census		2021 census
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%

White: Total	–	97.8%	148,135	95.5%	151,919	94.5%	156,785	91%	160,725	85.5%	157,111	80.4%
White: British	–	–	–	–	–	–	135,665	78.8%	133,582	71.4%	123,093	63.0%
White: Irish	–	–	–	–	–	–	4,805	%	4,766	2.5%	4,866	2.5%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	95	0.05%	85	0.0%
White: Roma	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	400	0.2%
White: Other	–	–	–	–	–	–	16,325	9.5%	22,282	11.9%	28,667	14.7%
Black or Black British: Total	–	–	–	–	1,221	0.75%	1,614	0.93%	2,816	1.3%	3,687	2%
Black or Black British: African	–	–	–	–	355		829	%	1,643	0.8%	2,260	1.2%
Black or Black British: Caribbean	–	–	–	–	553		643	%	840	0.4%	936	0.5%
Black or Black British: Other Black	–	–	–	–	313		124	%	333	0.1%	491	0.3%
Asian or Asian British: Total	–	–	–	–	5,711	3.5%	7,968	4.6%	13,607	7.0%	17,467	9%
Asian or Asian British: Indian	–	–	–	–	2622	1.63%	4,232	%	5,202	2.7%	7236	3.7%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani	–	–	–	–	353		664	%	1,163	0.6%	1749	0.9%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi	–	–	–	–	322		662	%	867	0.4%	916	0.5%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese	–	–	–	–	866		1,299	%	1,753	0.9%	2777	1.4%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	–	–	–	–	1548	0.96%	1,151	%	4,622	2.4%	4789	2.5%
Mixed or British Mixed: Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,797	2.2%	6,780	3.4%	10,662	5.4%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	–	–	–	–	–	–	670	%	1,250	0.6%	1654	0.8%
Mixed: White and Black African	–	–	–	–	–	–	443	%	731	0.3%	1205	0.6%
Mixed: White and Asian	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,530	%	2,857	1.5%	4238	2.2%
Mixed: Other Mixed	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,154	%	1,942	1.0%	3565	1.8%
Other: Total	–	–	–	–	1881	1.17%	2,171	1.25%	3,062	1.6%	6,350	3.3%
Other: Arab	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,172	0.6%	1,721	0.9%
Other: Any other ethnic group	–	–	–	–	1881	1.17%	2,171	1.25%	1,890	1.0%	4,629	2.4%
Ethnic minority: Total	–	2.2%	7,026	4.5%	8,813	5.42%	15,550	9%	26,265	14.2%	38,166	19.6%

Total	–	100%	155,161	100%	160,732	100%	172,335	100.00%	186,990	100.00%	195,277	100%

Population census
Year	Pop.	±%
1801	14,560	—
1811	16,748	+15.0%
1821	19,908	+18.9%
1831	22,752	+14.3%
1841	25,224	+10.9%
1851	28,769	+14.1%
1861	40,194	+39.7%
1871	51,619	+28.4%
1881	63,045	+22.1%
1891	79,854	+26.7%
1901	103,720	+29.9%
1911	134,729	+29.9%
1921	152,968	+13.5%
1931	173,683	+13.5%
1941	187,420	+7.9%
1951	202,246	+7.9%
1961	187,923	−7.1%
1971	174,640	−7.1%
1981	157,298	−9.9%
1991	164,235	+4.4%
2001	172,327	+4.9%
2011	186,990	+8.5%
2021	195,200	+4.4%
Note:

Richmond's Coat of Arms

The borough's history is shown in its coat of arms, which was officially given in 1966. It features a golden portcullis (a gate) on a white background, surrounded by a red border with eight golden fleur-de-lis symbols.

The top part, called the crest, shows a white swan rising up from a red crown. The swan holds a branch of red climbing roses. The swan represents the River Thames, which flows through the borough.

The supporters on either side are red griffins. Each griffin holds an oar. One oar has a dark blue blade, and the other has a light blue blade. These oars represent the famous Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge universities, which finishes in Mortlake, within the borough. The colours red, gold, and white (ermine) are royal colours, showing Richmond's royal past.

Getting Around Richmond (Transport)

Teddington railway station is one of the many train stations in the borough.

Air Travel

London Heathrow Airport is not far away, located just west of the borough.

Bus Services

Many Transport for London bus routes serve the borough, making it easy to get around.

Train Services

Richmond station connects the borough to central London and other areas.

The borough is connected to central London and Reading by National Rail trains run by South Western Railway.

Richmond upon Thames doesn't have as many London Underground (Tube) stations as some other parts of West London. Two stations, Richmond and Kew Gardens station, are served by the District line. Both are also served by London Overground trains on the North London line, which links Richmond to North London and Stratford. The southwestern part of the borough, like Twickenham, mostly uses suburban railway services.

Other train stations in the borough include: Barnes, Barnes Bridge, Fulwell, Hampton, Hampton Wick, Mortlake, North Sheen, St Margarets, Strawberry Hill, Teddington, Twickenham, and Whitton.

Learning in Richmond (Education)

The Richmond upon Thames College opened in 1977. It was the first "tertiary college" in Greater London. This meant that almost all studies for 16-19 year olds happened at this college. This system changed in 2012 when the council allowed schools to create their own sixth forms. The council also approved the creation of a Catholic secondary school for the first time in the borough.

Sports and Fun Activities

The Harlequins rugby team celebrating a win.

The borough has a local football club called Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C., who play at Beveree Stadium. Twickenham Stadium is a famous place for international rugby games. The Twickenham Stoop is home to the Harlequins Rugby Team.

Richmond Rugby Club also plays here and shares its grounds with London Scottish F.C.. There's a big youth rugby group called Richmond Minis, and the Richmond Heavies organize games for older players.

Cricket is played in many places, including Ham Common, Richmond Green, and Kew Green.

An aerial view of Ham House, the River Thames, and Ham Polo Club.

Since the River Thames flows through the borough, there are many sailing and rowing clubs along its banks. The Richmond Canoe Club is located near Richmond Bridge.

There's also a lot of horse riding activity. This includes the Horse Rangers Association and Ham Polo Club.

Richmond has swimming pools called Pools on the Park near the town centre. They have an outdoor pool that's open in the summer. There's also a heated outdoor pool in Hampton.

Arts and Culture in Richmond

The Twickenham Museum is a museum run by volunteers. It's across from St Mary's parish church.

The Old Town Hall now holds the Richmond Reference Library and the Museum of Richmond.

The Museum of Richmond is in Richmond's Old Town Hall, near Richmond Bridge. It shows the history of Richmond, Ham, Petersham, and Kew. They have changing exhibitions, educational activities, and events that cover the whole borough. Some cool things to see include 16th-century glass from Richmond Palace and a painting called The Terrace and View from Richmond Hill, Surrey by Dutch artist Leonard Knyff.

Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham displays art from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames' collection. This includes a portrait of James Johnston and paintings of Orleans House. It also has the Burton Collection, which includes art and items from the explorer Richard Francis Burton. The gallery also offers art workshops for different ages.

Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare in Hampton has a free Shakespeare exhibition from April to October. It also hosts summer drama, music, and other exhibitions.

Richmond Theatre is a beautiful Victorian building.

Richmond has two theatres. The Richmond Theatre is a beautiful Victorian building. It hosts plays and musicals by professional touring companies. Sometimes, you can even see shows before they go to London's West End. They also have a popular Christmas pantomime every year.

Near Richmond railway station is the Orange Tree Theatre. It started in 1971 in a room above a pub. As it became more popular, it moved to a converted primary school in 1991. This theatre has 172 seats and is known for its "theatre in the round" style, where the audience sits all around the stage. It's famous for showing new plays and bringing back forgotten old ones.

The performance group Richmond Opera practices regularly at The Vineyard Centre.

The Cabbage Patch pub near Twickenham railway station has been a regular place for live music on Sunday nights since 1983, organized by TwickFolk.

In 2015, Barnes, London became home to London's biggest children's book event, the Barnes Children's Literature Festival. It's now the second largest in Europe!