Radnor Gardens is a small public riverside garden and recreation ground in Strawberry Hill, south of

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

. It has a

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

memorial, a grass area, a

bowling green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

and a children's

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

Location

Radnor Gardens is located south of Twickenham town centre between the A310, ''Cross Deep'', and the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

riverbank. It affords one of the few pedestrian points of access to the river on the

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

bank between Twickenham and Kingston Bridge.

History and etymology

Twickenham War Memorial, London (cropped)

The Gardens were created in 1903 by

Twickenham Urban District Twickenham was a local government district in Middlesex, England from 1868 to 1965. History Twickenham Local Government District was formed in 1868, when the civil parish of Twickenham adopted the Local Government Act 1858. The district was gove ...

from several adjacent riverside properties dating back to the 17th century; ''

Radnor House Radnor House was an English 17th-century house on the banks of the River Thames in Cross Deep, Strawberry Hill, London, south of Twickenham town centre. It was destroyed by a bomb in 1940, and the remains of house and grounds form part of pre ...

'' from which the name derives, formed the central section of the gardens, the riverside garden of ''

Cross Deep House Cross Deep House was an 18th-century house, on the banks of the River Thames in Cross Deep, Strawberry Hill, south of Twickenham town centre. It was demolished in 1906 and the remains of its grounds form part of present-day Radnor Gardens. Et ...

'' provides the southern area, and the grounds of ''Cross Deep Hall'' to the north. Several remnants of these form features of the modern gardens including the walls of the base of Radnor House and two

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

structures; a gazebo and

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

polygonal summer house. After the purchase of Radnor House in 1902, of gravel from the construction of

Teddington Lock Teddington Lock is a complex of three lock (water transport), locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham, London, Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first buil ...

was used to raise the level of Cross Deep Ait, a former

ait An ait (, like ''eight'') or eyot () is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accumu ...

adjacent to Swan Island that formed part of the gardens, to protect it from flooding. The two aits are shown as single entity on

John Rocque John Rocque (originally Jean; c. 1704–1762) was a French-born British surveyor and cartographer, best known for his detailed map of London published in 1746. Life and career Rocque was born in France in about 1704, one of four children of a ...

's map of 1746. The channel separating the island from the bank silted up and was filled in the late 1960s. The course of the former channel can be discerned in the lawns during dry weather and metal remnants of connecting footbridges can be perceived lining the central and southern footpaths in the gardens today. Radnor House and the gardens were officially opened on 11 April 1903. The bowling green was created in 1920 and has been the home of ''Strawberry Hill Bowling Club'' since then.

Twickenham War Memorial Twickenham War Memorial, in Radnor Gardens, Twickenham, London, commemorates the men of the district of Twickenham who died in the First World War. After 1945, the memorial was updated to recognise casualties from the Second World War. The memor ...

Mortimer Brown Mortimer John Brown (27 April 1874 – 1966) was an English sculptor. Early life and education Mortimer Brown was born in Fenton, Staffordshire, the son of a brewer and potter's agent. He was educated at Hanley School of Art and the National A ...

was erected in 1921, which, despite facing south, was sited to form a focal point of a vista from the

Royal Star and Garter Home The Royal Star and Garter Home on Richmond Hill, in Richmond, London, was built between 1921 and 1924 to a design by Sir Edwin Cooper, based on a plan produced by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1915, to provide accommodation and nursing facilitie ...

on Richmond Hill to the north-east. The playground was constructed in 2006.

Administration

The gardens are administered by

Richmond upon Thames Borough Council Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council is the Local government, local authority for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London, the United Kingdom capital. Richm ...

and form the southern limit of the Twickenham

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

. A local group, ''Friends of Radnor Gardens'', liaises with the local authority and helped develop the

PPG 17 In the United Kingdom, Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG) were statements of the Government's national policy and principles towards certain aspects of the town planning framework. These national policy documents were originally known as PPGs an ...

- compliant 'Radnor Gardens Management Plan'. The gardens have been winners of the

Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...

since 2010.

References

External links

Official website

Friends of Radnor Gardens

Strawberry Hill Bowling Club
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Radnor Gardens 1903 establishments in England Bowling greens in England Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Twickenham Parks and open spaces on the River Thames