LATEST NEWS<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nFrom Prison to Palace<\/span><\/h1>\nOn Saturday morning 2 October a guided walk round historic Fulham has been arranged, meeting at Putney Bridge Station. The walk will be led by a member, Keith Whitehouse, a former chairman of Fulham and Hammersmith Historical Society.<\/p>\n
We shall see:<\/p>\n
\n- Putney Bridge Station, the terminus of the Metropolitan District Railway in 1880<\/li>\n
- Putney Bridge opened 1886<\/li>\n
- Blue plaque to F.R. Simms, founder of the Daimler Motor Syndicate in 1896<\/li>\n
- Fulham House built about 1735, now HQ of the Reserve Forces & Cadets Association for Greater London<\/li>\n
- Fulham Churchyard, medieval Fulham church<\/li>\n
- Burlington Road, remains of Fulham Convict Prison for females and Fulham Palace earthwork<\/li>\n
- Fulham Pottery kiln<\/li>\n
- Bishops Avenue, originally bishops private drive to palace<\/li>\n
- Fulham Palace, Tudor courtyard and museum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cafe for those who wish to have refreshments afterwards<\/p>\n
To book a place on this walk, and for more information please contact Jill Lamb at visits@richmondhistory.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Visit to Grove Gardens Chapel<\/span><\/h1>\nJill has arranged a visit to Grove Gardens Chapel with Stephen Fielding of Habitats and Heritage for 8 September at 11 am. There is no charge, but a suggested donation of \u00a35 per person can be made on the day.<\/p>\n
Grove Gardens Chapel was the Church of England funerary chapel for Richmond Cemetery (now Richmond Old Burial Ground). Built in 1877, Grove Gardens Chapel held funeral services for the Anglican community for nearly 100 years. \u00a0In 2020, the Chapel was closed to the public due to structural issues and underwent a period of essential conservation. \u00a0In Spring 2026, the Chapel reopened and is once again in public use.<\/p>\n
The closest railway stations are North Sheen and Richmond. \u00a0Both are within one mile of Grove Gardens Chapel. \u00a0Direct trains from London Waterloo run regularly during the week. \u00a0The number 371 bus runs regularly from Richmond Station to Park Road bus stop, which is 0.3 miles from the Chapel. \u00a0Head down Greville Road to reach Lower Grove Road.<\/p>\n
To book a place contact Jill at\u00a0:visits@richmondhistory.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\nWalking Tour of Richmond and its Riverside<\/span><\/h1>\nA walking tour, led by a member of RLHS on behalf of the Thames Festival Trust.\u00a0 This will take place on Tuesday 1st September at 10:30 am.<\/p>\n
Details https:\/\/thamesfestivaltrust.org\/whats-on\/richmond-architecture-walking-tour-26333\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Remembering David Blomfield<\/span><\/h1>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/David-Blomfield-and-prize-draw-cropped-and-resized.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDavid at the 2015 Richmond May Fair<\/em><\/p>\nRemembering, with fondness and gratitude for his enormous contribution to the Society’s work, David Blomfield, who passed away 10 years ago on 12 July 2016<\/strong>. David edited nine issues of our journal, Richmond History<\/em>, chaired the Society for ten years and was our second President.<\/p>\nBefore the pandemic, when we discovered Zoom and started putting many of our talks on YouTube, we posted audio recordings of some of our talks on Soundcloud.<\/strong> You can hear a tribute to David by our then-Chairman, Robert Smith<\/a><\/strong> and also an audio recording of David’s last talk to us, which he gave on 11 April 2016, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Star and Garter Home in Richmond.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Elizabeth_I_Armada_Portrait-250x200.jpg\")
Presidents, Explorers, a\u00a0General and a Princess:\u00a0Richmond\u2019s Links with British America and the War of Independence, 1580-1783<\/h1>\n
This month, and to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we welcomed Simon Targett, chair of RLHS, to talk about the links between Richmond (and the local area), British America and the War of Independence.<\/p>\n
As you may know, Richmond, the capital of Virginia, was named after Richmond-upon-Thames by William Byrd, a wealthy plantation owner who had studied law in England and who was struck by the similarity between the bend in the James River as viewed from Libby Hill and the bend in Thames, as viewed from Richmond Hill.<\/p>\n
But this is just one of many connections between Richmond (and Kew, Petersham, and Twickenham) and British America (up to 1776 and the American War of Independence). As Simon Targett will explain in his talk, the first connections date back to the 1580s, when Sir Francis Drake held secret talks with Queen Elizabeth I at Richmond Palace about the land he named in her honour near what is now San Francisco.<\/p>\n
After that, the connections deepened, and Simon told about, among others, Matoaka (otherwise known as Pocahontas), Elihu Yale (after whom Yale University is named), Thomas Pownall (a former governor of Massachusetts), General William Howe
\n(Commander-in-Chief of the British Army during the War of Independence)\u2014as well as future presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.<\/p>\n
Dr Simon Targett is a writer, historian, and award-winning journalist. A former Associate Editor of the Financial Times, he is a Departmental Tutor at Oxford University, where hlectures on Anglo-American and media history. He is coauthor of New World, Inc.: How England\u2019s Merchants Founded America and Launched the British Empire (2018). He has a PhD in history from Cambridge University.<\/p>\n
Image formerly attributed to George Gower”: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/The Society’s Newsletter has now gone digital<\/span><\/h1>\nBecause of rising postage costs, future issues of the Newsletter will be despatched by email only.<\/strong> Printed copies will be available, free of charge, at our events. However, if you would still like to receive the Newsletter by post you can order a year’s subscription for only \u00a36.00<\/strong> at www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/products\/<\/a> or in person at the Welcome Desk at any of our talks.<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning 2 October a guided walk round historic Fulham has been arranged, meeting at Putney Bridge Station. The walk will be led by a member, Keith Whitehouse, a former chairman of Fulham and Hammersmith Historical Society.<\/p>\n
We shall see:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Putney Bridge Station, the terminus of the Metropolitan District Railway in 1880<\/li>\n
- Putney Bridge opened 1886<\/li>\n
- Blue plaque to F.R. Simms, founder of the Daimler Motor Syndicate in 1896<\/li>\n
- Fulham House built about 1735, now HQ of the Reserve Forces & Cadets Association for Greater London<\/li>\n
- Fulham Churchyard, medieval Fulham church<\/li>\n
- Burlington Road, remains of Fulham Convict Prison for females and Fulham Palace earthwork<\/li>\n
- Fulham Pottery kiln<\/li>\n
- Bishops Avenue, originally bishops private drive to palace<\/li>\n
- Fulham Palace, Tudor courtyard and museum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cafe for those who wish to have refreshments afterwards<\/p>\n
To book a place on this walk, and for more information please contact Jill Lamb at visits@richmondhistory.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Visit to Grove Gardens Chapel<\/span><\/h1>\n
Jill has arranged a visit to Grove Gardens Chapel with Stephen Fielding of Habitats and Heritage for 8 September at 11 am. There is no charge, but a suggested donation of \u00a35 per person can be made on the day.<\/p>\n
Grove Gardens Chapel was the Church of England funerary chapel for Richmond Cemetery (now Richmond Old Burial Ground). Built in 1877, Grove Gardens Chapel held funeral services for the Anglican community for nearly 100 years. \u00a0In 2020, the Chapel was closed to the public due to structural issues and underwent a period of essential conservation. \u00a0In Spring 2026, the Chapel reopened and is once again in public use.<\/p>\n
The closest railway stations are North Sheen and Richmond. \u00a0Both are within one mile of Grove Gardens Chapel. \u00a0Direct trains from London Waterloo run regularly during the week. \u00a0The number 371 bus runs regularly from Richmond Station to Park Road bus stop, which is 0.3 miles from the Chapel. \u00a0Head down Greville Road to reach Lower Grove Road.<\/p>\n
To book a place contact Jill at\u00a0:visits@richmondhistory.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Walking Tour of Richmond and its Riverside<\/span><\/h1>\n
A walking tour, led by a member of RLHS on behalf of the Thames Festival Trust.\u00a0 This will take place on Tuesday 1st September at 10:30 am.<\/p>\n
Details https:\/\/thamesfestivaltrust.org\/whats-on\/richmond-architecture-walking-tour-26333\/<\/a><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Remembering David Blomfield<\/span><\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nDavid at the 2015 Richmond May Fair<\/em><\/p>\n
Remembering, with fondness and gratitude for his enormous contribution to the Society’s work, David Blomfield, who passed away 10 years ago on 12 July 2016<\/strong>. David edited nine issues of our journal, Richmond History<\/em>, chaired the Society for ten years and was our second President.<\/p>\n
Before the pandemic, when we discovered Zoom and started putting many of our talks on YouTube, we posted audio recordings of some of our talks on Soundcloud.<\/strong> You can hear a tribute to David by our then-Chairman, Robert Smith<\/a><\/strong> and also an audio recording of David’s last talk to us, which he gave on 11 April 2016, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Star and Garter Home in Richmond.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Presidents, Explorers, a\u00a0General and a Princess:\u00a0Richmond\u2019s Links with British America and the War of Independence, 1580-1783<\/h1>\nThis month, and to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we welcomed Simon Targett, chair of RLHS, to talk about the links between Richmond (and the local area), British America and the War of Independence.<\/p>\n
As you may know, Richmond, the capital of Virginia, was named after Richmond-upon-Thames by William Byrd, a wealthy plantation owner who had studied law in England and who was struck by the similarity between the bend in the James River as viewed from Libby Hill and the bend in Thames, as viewed from Richmond Hill.<\/p>\n
But this is just one of many connections between Richmond (and Kew, Petersham, and Twickenham) and British America (up to 1776 and the American War of Independence). As Simon Targett will explain in his talk, the first connections date back to the 1580s, when Sir Francis Drake held secret talks with Queen Elizabeth I at Richmond Palace about the land he named in her honour near what is now San Francisco.<\/p>\n
After that, the connections deepened, and Simon told about, among others, Matoaka (otherwise known as Pocahontas), Elihu Yale (after whom Yale University is named), Thomas Pownall (a former governor of Massachusetts), General William Howe
\n(Commander-in-Chief of the British Army during the War of Independence)\u2014as well as future presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.<\/p>\nDr Simon Targett is a writer, historian, and award-winning journalist. A former Associate Editor of the Financial Times, he is a Departmental Tutor at Oxford University, where hlectures on Anglo-American and media history. He is coauthor of New World, Inc.: How England\u2019s Merchants Founded America and Launched the British Empire (2018). He has a PhD in history from Cambridge University.<\/p>\n
Image formerly attributed to George Gower”: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/
wiki\/Armada_Portrait#\/media\/ File:Elizabeth_I_(Armada_ Portrait).jpg<\/a><\/p>\n The Society’s Newsletter has now gone digital<\/span><\/h1>\n
Because of rising postage costs, future issues of the Newsletter will be despatched by email only.<\/strong> Printed copies will be available, free of charge, at our events. However, if you would still like to receive the Newsletter by post you can order a year’s subscription for only \u00a36.00<\/strong> at www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/products\/<\/a> or in person at the Welcome Desk at any of our talks.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ricmond-1-250x250.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/audience-at-Nathen-Amins-talk.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Venetian-Fete-on-the-Thames-at-Richmond-15-August-1892-Henry-Charles-Seppings-Wright-1849-1937-500x388.jpg\")
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ARP-wardens-post-video-image-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>We’ve also added a video on Richmond and Kew in the Second World War<\/strong>. ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/MEMBERSHIP-250x250.png\")
<\/strong>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Richmond-at-War-FINAL-front-cover-1-162x250.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/9781036968366.jpeg\")
<\/a>Also in our online bookshop is another new publication, Richmond Revealed<\/strong><\/em>, a book by experienced local tour guide and Richmond Local History Society member Paul Jackson. Richly illustrated in full colour, it describes, with the help of very clear maps, six fascinating walks in Richmond, Ham and Petersham. ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/978191231403-170x250.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Old-Palace-Lane-Front-cover-164x250.jpg\")
<\/a>All of the Richmond Local History Society’s publications still in print are available from our online bookshop.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.richmondhistory.org.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/RLHS-Journal-44-COVER-011123-250x192.jpg\")
<\/a>Our journal has received an award as London\u2019s best local history journal for