Historic Twickenham Walk

John Gallop

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Twickenham is a Thames-side suburb most famous for the England Rugby Union national stadium. This walk stays well away from the 85,000-seat looming leviathan, keeping to the historic heart of Twickenham, strung out along the left bank of the river.

Archaeology shows that people were living in this area during the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages as well as the Roman period. But the first written record of the existence of Twickenham is in a charter of 704AD, where the settlement is described as Tuican hom. Farming, market gardens, fishing and glass-making were the main occupations over the following centuries, but little of this remains visible. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries have left a major footprint on the appearance of the historic centre of the town, as it then became a fashionable resort for wealthy Londoners who built grand houses there. Mixed industry remained, dotted amongst the smart villas. The coming of the railway around 1860 led to rapid in-filling with redbrick Victorian villas and terraces which now cover all of the previously farmed land. Most of the small industries, cheek by jowl with the smart villas, have disappeared now. Plenty of public open space remains, by the river and in parks linked with some of the historic buildings and this walk follows those open spaces as much as possible.

This is a short, easy walk on generally smooth or metalled paths with almost no climbing. If you are coming by train, start the walk at Strawberry Hill Station (on the Waterloo to Kingston loop line). Otherwise, you can take a 33 bus from Richmond Station direct to Strawberry Hill House.

England - South England - London - Town or city