Richmond Reads – the Season of Stories
You may have seen Richmond Reads on posters in our libraries or on our website, but what is Richmond Reads? In this blog post we'll explain what it is, when…
Fire and flood: the saga of Richmond Lending Library
As those who use it know, Richmond Lending Library is currently closed for repairs. All of our library buildings need upkeep, and buildings sometimes close for longer to allow for…
Charles Dickens and Richmond – [Local History Notes: 20]
Estella in Great Expectations (1861) states: ‘Our lesson is that there are two Richmonds, one in Surrey and one in Yorkshire, and that mine is the Surrey Richmond.' As early…
James Thomson (1700-1748) – [Local History Notes: 17]
The poet of The Seasons was born in Ednam in Roxburghshire, Scotland, the son of Thomas Thomson, a preacher. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Southdean where James…
Richmond Read-along 2
Welcome back to our Richmond Read-along! Today we're moving closer to home with a past resident of our very own Richmond upon Thames Borough. James Thomson was an 18th century…
Hogarth House, Richmond – [Local History Notes: 13]
Abraham Cropp, a man of considerable wealth, died at his home in Paradise Row in 1744 (1). He owned two adjoining houses, a coach house and stables. His widow, Susanna…
Richmond Palace – [Local History Notes: 11]
Henry VII built Richmond Palace on the site of the former Palace of Shene which was severely damaged by fire when the king and his court were there for Christmas…
Asgill House, Richmond – [Local History Notes: 9]
Of the several notable houses in Richmond which were built on the site of Henry VIII’s royal palace in Richmond, Asgill House is perhaps the most original in design. It…
The Szlumper Cuttings
Sir James Szlumper Sir James Szlumper, 3 times mayor of Richmond (1893/1900/1904) and president of the Victoria Working Men’s Club collected 11 volumes of cuttings from local and national newspapers…
The Original Star and Garter, Richmond Hill – [Local History Notes: 8]
Many hotels and inn throughout the country bear the name Star and Garter: the name stems from the royal insignia of the Garter and establishments adopting it were frequently found…