Twickenham and surrounding area

Twickenham is situated west of London’s centre, about 10 miles (16km) in a straight line from Trafalgar Square. Twickenham is an ancient settlement that built its wealth on fishing and shipbuilding, until manufacturing explosives became big business in the 18th century.

Today Twickenham is a thriving local centre in the larger London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames. It is a town steeped in history, with many attractions to visit such as York House Gardens, Marble Hill House and Orleans House Gallery. It also has a range of shops, pubs and restaurants. It’s an ideal place to shop, eat and drink and then take a riverside stroll.

The town centre is centred around King Street and York Street at the end of London Road - turn right outside the school. There are a good range of local and ‘chain’ shops which can supply most of your needs. Church Street is home to lots of independent shops, cafés, bars and restaurants, and side streets lead off Church Street down to the River Thames. A footbridge leads across to Eel Pie Island, which was the site of legendary concerts in the 1960s and home to famous pop musicians.

The most famous landmark in Twickenham is the Rugby Stadium on Rugby Road, which is home to the Rugby Football Union of Britain. Many important national and international Rugby matches are played here, and there is a museum of the game here too. You can visit the museum, and tour the stadium, Tuesday to Saturday.

Another famous landmark is Strawberry Hill, whose name is now applied to a style of architecture known as Strawberry Hill Gothic. It was built in the 18th century by the son of the Prime Minister and is has fine rooms with ornate ceilings and coloured glass. It is open for private tours Sunday to Friday.

Marble Hill House is next to the River Thames, which flows through Twickenham towards central London. Marble Hill was built when Twickenham was, according to some, the Beverley Hills of the 18th century. The impressive house and gardens are open from the end of March to the second week in December.

Just down river is Orleans House, the main art gallery for Twickenham. It is open all year from Tuesday to Sunday.

Not far away are Twickenham Film Studios, which have been producing films since 1913, and are some of the most important film studios in the UK.

Take the foot ferry across the river and you can visit Ham House, which has changed little in 300 years. It features superb tapestries, furniture and paintings, and beautiful gardens. It’s also supposed to be haunted: if you see a dog running through the corridors, it must be a ghost, because animals are banned. The house is open at weekends from 14 February and also Monday to Wednesday from 14 March.

All Hallows Church on Churtsey Road is an oddity: it was built in 1939 using the tower and interior fittings from All Hallows church in central London, which was designed by the great Renaissance architect Sir Christopher Wren. Most of the 50 churches he built after the Great Fire of London have been destroyed; this one survived the Blitz of 1940 thanks to its move to Twickenham.

Richmond is the only London borough that straddles both sides of the Thames with spacious parks and commons – it is also the capital’s greenest borough. Richmond Park is London’s biggest park.

Richmond has been a favourite retreat of Royalty, the rich and the famous for hundreds of years. The area is best known for Hampton Court Palace, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and London Wetland Centre.

Richmond-upon-Thames has something for everyone. If you’re looking for a great mix of shops including the well known high street names, boutiques, designer stores and antique shops, Richmond is the perfect destination. Unlike many modern towns, Richmond has historic cobbled lanes and alleyways filled with interesting finds. When shopping tires you out, you can take a short break at one of the many wine bars or cafés or relax by the river or on Richmond Green – London’s largest town centre open space.

Brewers Lane, Paved Court, Golden Court, Church Court and Hill Rise are an absolute must for visitors to Richmond, here you will find many independent shops, galleries and curious places to browse.

Richmond is also well known for its pubs, secluded cafés, and its farmers’ market which takes place on Saturdays 11.00 to 15.00.

The town has two professional theatres, the Richmond Theatre, which receives major national tours, and the Orange Tree Theatre, a producing theatre ‘in the round’. The town also has three cinemas, the arthouse Curzon in Water Lane and two Odeon cinemas with a total of seven screens, one located upon entry to Richmond via the bridge, and the second set further back nearby.