HAMPTON to KEW to HAMPTON STRATEGY LANDSCAPE THE TREASURES 5 SYON HOUSE & FLOOD MEADOWS 10 THAMES ISLANDS 14 OLD ISLEWORTH 18 RICHMOND BRIDGE THAMES The London home of the Duke and Some of the most fascinating places One of London’s most charming The bridge was built between 1774 and 1777 replacing an In association with: association In Duchess of Northumberland built on the site along the Thames are the islands, ‘villages’, Isleworth is a quiet backwater ancient ferry - now the oldest over the Thames in London. of a medieval abbey contains some of the ‘aits’ or ‘eyots’ as the smaller islands nestling alongside the tree covered ‘ait’. fi nest Robert Adam interiors in the UK. The are known. Eel Pie Island is named With stunning views and several old 19 MESSING ABOUT ON THE RIVER Capability Brown designed parks and gardens after the dish served at the famous hotel whilst Brentford Ait riverside pubs, Isleworth is well worth a 1 CHISWICK HOUSE For centuries the Thames was London’s are slowly being restored. was artifi cially enlarged in the 19th Century to hide industrial visit. In the graveyard of All Saint’s church main transport route and today is still ‘I assure you Chiswick has been Cattle still graze Syon’s waterside meadows – the only natural Brentford from Kew Gardens. Isleworth Ait is one of the last is a 17th Century plague pit. JMW Turner lived nearby at Ferry the best way to see the river. Take a trip to me the finest thing this glorious riverbank left in Greater London and a haven for wildlife. refuges of two of the UK’s rarest invertebrates the German House. At low tide a series of ancient fi sh traps can be seen near aboard one of the passenger boats that sun has shined on’ Alexander Pope 1732 For more information phone: 020 8560 0882. hairy snail and the two lipped door snail. Corporation Island in to the London Apprentice pub. have plyed their trade for almost 150 years Richmond has an important heronry whilst on Lotts Island in between Kew and Hampton Court. RICHMOND GREEN & THE SITE OF Owned by English Heritage, Chiswick 6 KEW GREEN Brentford a small creek was the location for many of the outdoor 15 RICHMOND PALACE Alternatively hire a traditional Thames skiff at Richmond Bridge House and Gardens is England’s fi rst and A splendid ‘village green’ scenes from the fi lm ‘The African Queen. Legend has it that two Boathouses or Molesey Lock. Originally laid out in front of Henry VII’s Richmond Palace, one of the fi nest examples of neo-Palladian architecture. It was surrounded by a host of Georgian ring necked paraqueets escaped during fi lming – their numbers the Green was used for great Tudor tournaments and jousting designed by Lord Burlington to emulate the style and elegance buildings and many great pubs and now total 15,000! 20 THE GREAT TREES OF LONDON pageants. Today the Green is home to the rich and famous. of ancient Rome that he had seen on his Grand Tours of Italy. restaurants. St. Anne’s Church The riverbank is home to some of London’s most important 11 WET WOODLAND ALONG THE KEW TOWPATH Picturesque lanes lead towards Richmond’s famed shopping The spectacular gardens (currently being restored) fi lled with has a historic interior with Royal species of tree including ash, alder, oak, lime, black poplar and centre full of designer shops, restaurants and boutiques. classical temples, statues and obelisks were the fi rst to be laid out connections dating back to Queen Between Kew and Richmond, the Thames Path meanders willow. The most notable of each type are marked with a small Richmond Palace was built in 1497 and was the favoured in the new style of the ‘English landscape movement’ inspired by Anne. Cricket is played on the green during the summer. through one of the most remote and rural stretches of the river plaque to signify their status as a ‘Great tree of London’. Look home of both Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth I who died there the View from Richmond Hill a few miles up the Thames. in London. Running alongside the towpath is a water fi lled ditch out for these whilst walking the Thames Path. in 1603. The historic Gatehouse and Wardrobe building remain For more information phone: 020 8995 0508. 7 ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW (fed by the spring tides) that supports an extensive area of ‘wet to the present which along with Old Palace Lane, form an woodland’ – an important habitat for beetles, ducks and many 21 THE TERRACE GARDENS STRAND ON THE GREEN Kew Gardens is home to the world’s interesting link between the river and Richmond Green. 2 nesting birds including the electric blue kingfi sher. On the riverbank largest and most diverse collection of living A classic example of a Victorian look out for lengths of ‘willow spiling’ – a traditional way to Strand on the Green is a narrow walkway on the river with plants and a World Heritage Site. Lose 16 ASGILL HOUSE & CHOLMONDELEY WALK municipal park complete with wonderful historic houses and pubs popular with walkers and locals. yourself in the outstanding conservatories, stabilise the river bank recently reintroduced by local volunteers. Near to Asgill House the Thames Path follows the route of hothouses, formal fl ower beds, the wide open spaces, stunning vistas rockeries, a tea house, grottos and a THE THAMES PATH Cholmondeley Walk - one of the fi rst public footpaths in the 3 KEW BRIDGE STEAM MUSEUM across the river to Syon House and intriguing wildlife gardens. 12 country. Laid out in the 18th Century, the footpath originally statue of the Thames River God. The For more information phone: 020 8332 5655. Steam power comes alive at London’s Kew Bridge Steam The Thames Path is a wonderful 184-mile walk and one of consisted of two separate paths – a lower, wetter path next to gardens have recently been restored to Museum. Built in the 19th century to supply London with only 15 National Trails in England and Wales. It follows the their former glory with splendid views opened to the Thames. 8 THE KING’S OBSERVATORY & THE OLD DEER PARK the river for tradesman and a drier route above for more ‘polite’ water. The museum is recognised as the most important River Thames from its source in the Cotswolds to the Thames members of society. THE VIEW FROM RICHMOND HILL historic site of the water supply industry in Britain and houses Built by Sir William Chambers for George II to observe the Barrier near Greenwich in London, travelling through some of 22 the world’s largest collection of steam pumping engines. transit of Venus in June 1769 the King’s Observatory can be Britain’s fi nest countryside. 17 RICHMOND WATERSIDE Heavens! What a goodly Prospect spreads around, BETWEEN HAMPTON AND KEW. AND HAMPTON BETWEEN Kew Bridge Steam Museum is viewed between two great obelisks marking the line of the Kew Bustling Richmond Waterside RICHMOND LOCK & TIDE Of Hills, and Dales, and Woods, and Lawns, and Spires, AND PLACES OF INTEREST INTEREST OF PLACES AND closed Mondays. meridian that was once used to measure the ‘King’s Time’. 13 is the place to promenade on a And glittering Towns, and gilded Streams, till all, GARDENS, WILDLIFE SITES, PUBS PUBS SITES, WILDLIFE GARDENS, For more information phone: Although located 30 miles from warm summer’s evening taking RIVERSIDE WILDLIFE The stretching Landskip into smoke decays! James Thomson SIDE HOUSES, HOUSES, SIDE BEST THAMES BEST 9 - 020 8568 4757. the sea, the river at Richmond is tidal. in the splendour of the Quinlan YOUR INVITATION TO EXPLORE THE THE EXPLORE TO INVITATION YOUR Just 60 years ago the River Thames was biologically dead. Approximately two hours after high Terry riverside development The ‘jewel of the Arcadian Thames’ is best seen from the 4 BRENTFORD JUNCTION GRAND UNION CANAL Since then it has been cleaned up and is now one of the cleanest water three large sluices are lowered before heading up Richmond Hill Terrace Walk at the top of Richmond Hill. The View (the Brentford is one of England’s best surviving canal junctions metropolitan estuaries in the world supporting over 120 different across the river at Richmond Lock and Weir. This is to maintain to watch the sun slowly set. Nearby on Whittaker Avenue most painted in London) has inspired poets, painters, writers HAMPTON and London’s gateway to the national waterway network. species of fi sh including eels, fl ounder and sea lamprey. The riverside a minimum depth of around 1.5 metres between Richmond and is the Richmond tourist information centre and Richmond and landscape gardeners for centuries. Immortalised in verse, DISCOVER THE ARCADIAN THAMES ARCADIAN THE DISCOVER The junction provides a fascinating insight into the capital’s is managed for a variety of species including kingfi sher, the pussy Teddington as the tide ebbs out. Without the lock, the river would Museum. Traditional Thames rowing boats are still made at the View is the only one in the UK to be deemed so special fast disappearing industrial past where the visitor can watch willow, black poplar and purple loosestrife. On summer evenings largely empty at low tide making boating almost impossible. The Richmond that can be hired by the hour or for longer camping that it is protected by an Act of Parliament. Watch the sun go TREASURES BY THE THAMES THE BY TREASURES the construction and repair of traditional narrow boats or walk look out for bats that roost in old trees coming out at dusk to feed on Thames Estuary has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world trips.