Petersham, London Explained

Country:	England
Map Type:	Greater London
Region:	London
Population:	10,317
Population Ref:	(2011 Census. Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside Ward)^[1]
Official Name:	Petersham
Coordinates:	51.445°N -0.303°W
London Borough:	Richmond
Constituency Westminster:	Richmond Park
Post Town:	RICHMOND
Postcode District:	TW10
Postcode Area:	TW
Dial Code:	020
Os Grid Reference:	TQ179733

Petersham is a village in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the east of the bend in the River Thames south of Richmond, which it shares with neighbouring Ham. It provides the foreground of the scenic view from Richmond Hill across Petersham Meadows, with Ham House further along the river. Other nearby places include Twickenham, Isleworth, Teddington, Mortlake, and Roehampton.

History

Petersham appears in Domesday Book (1086) as Patricesham. It was held by Chertsey Abbey.^[2] Its assets were: 4 hides; 1 church, 5 ploughs, 1 fishery worth 1,000 eels and 1000 lampreys, 3acres of meadow. It rendered £6 10s 0d.

Archibald Campbell, later 3rd Duke of Argyll and Earl of Islay, was born at Ham House in 1682.^[3] He went on to found the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh in 1727.

The explorer George Vancouver retired to Petersham, where he wrote A Voyage Of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World.^[4] He lived in a house in River Lane that is now two separate dwellings – Navigator's House (formerly known as Craigmyle Cottage) and Glen Cottage.^[4] He died in 1798 and is buried in the churchyard of Petersham Parish Church. The Portland stone monument over his grave, renovated in the 1960s, is now Grade II listed in view of its historical associations.

In 1839 Charles Dickens rented Elm Cottage, renamed Elm Lodge,^[5] where he wrote Nicholas Nickleby.^[6]

In 1847 Queen Victoria granted Pembroke Lodge in the Petersham part of Richmond Park to John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, and it became the Russell family home.^[7] Lord Russell's grandson, Bertrand Russell, spent some of his childhood there.^{[8] [9]} During World War II the GHQ Liaison Regiment (also known as Phantom) established its regimental headquarters nearby at the Richmond Hill Hotel,^[10] with its base (including the officers' mess and billet) at Pembroke Lodge.^[11]

In the early 19th century, Charles Stanhope, styled Lord Petersham, later Earl of Harrington, gave the Petersham name to a type of greatcoat.^[12] In 1955 Petersham also gave its name to,^[13] which was a .

Landmarks

Notable buildings

Listed buildings include a watchman's box, that also served as a village lock-up and dates from 1787.^[14]

Petersham Road (part of the A307) includes an extremely sharp right-angled bend edged by a pair of handsome wrought iron gates. This is the entrance to Montrose House, one of the most notable houses in Petersham. After a spate of serious accidents on the bend in the road, the neighbours formed a group in the 1850s called Trustees of the Road. The Hon. Algernon Tollemache of Ham House was their leader and they managed to persuade the owner of Montrose House to part with some land to reduce the sharpness of the bend. But various dents in the brick wall today reveal that motorists are still taken unawares by it.^[15]

Adjacent to Montrose House and equally as impressive is Rutland Lodge, built in 1666 for a Lord Mayor of London;^[16] it is Grade II* listed.

Another historic house in Petersham is Douglas House, just off the west drive to Ham House. One of its notable inhabitants was Catherine, Duchess of Queensberry. In 1969 it was bought by the Federal Republic of Germany for use as a German school. New buildings have been erected in the grounds, but the original house and stables have been preserved.^[17]

Transport

Petersham is served by only two bus routes: the 65 and 371, both linking the village with Richmond and Kingston upon Thames. It has only a few bus stops such as Sandy Lane, Sudbrook Lane (The Russell School) and Ham Street and The Dysart.

Education

See main article: List of schools in Richmond upon Thames.

• Deutsche Schule (DSL), London (the German School London), is based at Douglas House.
• The Russell School, now on Petersham Road, was founded in 1851 by Lord John Russell, who served twice as Britain's Prime Minister. It was originally located in Richmond Park, near Petersham Gate, but the building was irreparably damaged by a bomb in 1943 and demolished.^[18]
• Sudbrook School is a nursery school housed in Petersham's village hall on Bute Avenue.

Religious sites

St Peter's Church

See main article: St Peter's Church, Petersham. Petersham Parish Church is believed to pre-date the Norman conquest of England, as a church at Petersham is mentioned in Domesday Book (1086).

All Saints' Church

See main article: All Saints' Church, Petersham (London). All Saints', on Bute Avenue, was built as a church but was never consecrated.^[19] It was built between 1899 and 1909 by Leeds architect John Kelly for Mrs Rachael Warde (née Walker) (1841–1906)^[20] as a memorial to her father Samuel Walker and her aunt Ellen Walker.^[21] During World War II it was used as an Anti-Aircraft Command post^{[22] [23] [24]} and it has also been used as a recording studio^[25] and as a filming location.^[26] It is now a private residence.^[26]

Sport

Richmond Golf Club, a private golf club, is situated in the historic Sudbrook Park,^[27] adjacent to Richmond Park. The Grade I listed building Sudbrook House, in the park, has been its clubhouse since 1898.^[28]

Ham and Petersham Cricket Club, whose home matches are played in Ham, was established in 1815.^[29]

Ranelagh Harriers running club is based behind The Dysart restaurant.^[30]

Notable people

See main article: List of people from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

Living people

• Shirley Bloomer (born 1934), who won three Grand Slam tennis titles during her tennis-playing career, is the widow of Chris Brasher (see Historical figures below); they brought up their family in Petersham.
• Michael Frayn (born 1933), playwright and novelist, and his wife Claire Tomalin (born 1933), journalist and biographer, live in Petersham.^[31]
• The entertainer Tommy Steele (born 1936) bought Montrose House in 1969.^{[32] [33]} He sold it in about 2004.^[34]
• Lynne Truss (born 1955), author, journalist, novelist, and radio broadcaster and dramatist, grew up in Petersham.^[35]
• Peter Voser (b. 1958), the former CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, lived in Petersham. He has since moved back to his native Switzerland.^[36]
• Fearne Cotton (b. 1981), TV presenter, lived at Chestnut Cottage, Petersham 2004–2008.^[37]

Historical figures

• Daisy Ashford (1881–1972), who is most famous for writing The Young Visiters, was born at Elm Lodge, Petersham.^{[38] [39]}
• Chris Brasher (1928–2003), an athlete and sports journalist who co-founded the London Marathon, lived in River Lane, Petersham.^[40]
• The author and illustrator Charles George Harper (1863–1943) lived in Petersham in later life, and died there in 1943.^[41]
• Lodowick Carlell (1602–1675), courtier and playwright, and his wife Joan Carlile (c.1606–1679), portrait painter, lived at Petersham Lodge in Richmond Park. They are buried together in St Peter's churchyard, but the location of their grave is not known.^[42]
• Prince Rupert Loewenstein (1933–2014), aristocrat, merchant banker and longtime financial manager of The Rolling Stones, lived at Petersham Lodge in River Lane, a former grace-and-favour mansion, purchased for about £2 million in 1987.^[43] It is an early 18th-century house, built for Catherine Douglas, Duchess of Queensberry, and Grade II listed by Historic England.
• The businessman Tony Rampton (1915–1993), who was chairman of the clothing retailer Freemans, lived at Gort Lodge, an early 18th-century Grade II listed house in Petersham, where he and his wife Joan, who were both philanthropists, brought up their family, including their son Richard Rampton KC (1941–2023),^[44] who became a libel lawyer. Tony and Joan Rampton are buried in St Peter's churchyard.^{[45] [46] [47]}
• George Vancouver (1757–1798), Captain in the Royal Navy and one of Britain's greatest explorers and navigators, retired to Petersham and lived on River Lane;^[4] he is buried in St Peter's churchyard.
• Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton (1784–1841), politician, sociopolitical theorist and colonial administrator, who was Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies between 1821 and 1828, and Governor of Ceylon from 1831 to 1837, lived and died at Sudbrook Park, Petersham.^[48]

See also

• German School London

Sources

• Book: The London Encyclopaedia . . Hibbert, Christopher . Christopher Hibbert . Keay, John . John Keay . Keay, Julia . 2010 . 9781405049252 .

External links

• Description and map of Petersham Conservation Area
• A community site run by residents of Petersham
• Ham Photos blog – hundreds of photos of Petersham with brief descriptions
• Photo of Petersham Lock-up
• Richmond Local History Society, which covers Richmond, Kew, Ham and Petersham

Notes and References

1. Web site: Richmond Ward population 2011. 11 October 2016. Office for National Statistics . Neighbourhood Statistics.
2. Book: Lysons, Daniel. Daniel Lysons (antiquarian). The Environs of London: Volume 1, County of Surrey. 1792. 399–403. British History Online. 6 March 2024.
3. Web site: Archibald Campbell, 3rd duke of Argyll . Anderson, Mic. . 13 February 2024. 6 March 2024.
4. [Simon Targett|Targett, Simon]
5. Web site: Elm Lodge . Historic England.
6. Web site: 4 October 2019 . 11 June 2024. Dickens in Richmond upon Thames . Richmond Local Studies Library and Archive. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
7. Book: Richmond Park: Portrait of a Royal Playground . Fletcher Jones, Pamela. 1972 . 41. Phillimore & Co Ltd. 0850334977.
8. [Bertrand Russell|Russell, Bertrand]
9. Web site: Bertrand Russell – the young philosopher in the park . . The Collection . 12 June 2015 . 19 February 2022.
10. Book: Defending London: A Military History from Conquest to Cold War . . Osborne, Mike . 9780752479316. 2011.
11. Book: 2011 . "History" in Guide to Richmond Park . Lankester, Max. . London . 91. 978-0-9567469-0-0.
12. Web site: Petersham. The Free Dictionary. 1 August 2015.
13. Book: Blackman . Raymond V B . . 1953.
14. Web site: Village Watchman's Hut & Lock-up . Petersham Village . 18 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131019160006/http://www.petershamvillage.org/PV/Village_Lock-up.html . 19 October 2013 . dead .
15. Weinreb and Hibbert, p. 610
16. Web site: Rutland Lodge, Petersham, London: the main front . RIBApix . 23 July 2016.
17. Weinreb and Hibbert, p. 241
18. Web site: Lost buildings in Richmond Park: The Prime Minister's school and a magnificent mansion . . Stories . 9 June 2015 . 19 February 2022.
19. Web site: Ham and Petersham – All Saints' Church . . Blomfield, David . David Blomfield . 1 June 2015.
20. Web site: Laetitia Rachael Warde (born Walker) . . 24 February 2011 . 19 April 2013 . dead . https://archive.today/20130629212213/http://mhutils.com/person-1000060_108841351_108841351/laetitia-rachael-warde-born-walker . 29 June 2013 . dmy-all .
21. Petersham at War. Lee . J M . . 2007 . 28 . 8–14. 0263-0958.
22. Book: Petersham: Radar and Operational Research 1940–1946 . . Lee, J M . 2024. 2nd. 978-1-912314-04-1.
23. Web site: Second World War . Petersham Village . 14 February 2015 . Lee, Michael.
24. What role did Petersham's All Saints church play in World War Two? . . 28 . 2007 . 0263-0958. 14 February 2015.
25. News: Obituary: Keith Grant . . 12 September 2012 . 19 April 2013.
26. Book: The Building of a Borough . . The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Volunteer Support Group . 2013 . 18–20.
27. Web site: Welcome to the Richmond Golf Club . . 21 February 2022.
28. Book: Brennand, Tom . Richmond Golf Club: A Centenary History 1891–1991 . 1990 . St Edmundsbury Press Ltd . 20,38–39,104–106.
29. Web site: Ham and Petersham Cricket Club . . 21 February 2022.
30. Web site: Welcome to Ranelagh Harriers . . 18 October 2013.
31. News: Adams . Tim . 16 August 2009 . The interview: Michael Frayn . . 13 December 2022.
32. New Light on Old Petersham Houses – 2 . Cloake, John . John Cloake . . 1998 . 19. 17. 0263-0958.
33. Book: The London Encyclopaedia . . Hibbert, Christopher . Christopher Hibbert . Keay, John . John Keay . Keay, Julia . 2010 . 559. 9781405049252 .
34. News: Douglas . Rachel . 21 April 2004 . Celebs on the move . Evening Standard. 20 February 2021.
35. News: Lynne Truss: The eff-off society . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lynne-truss-the-effoff-society-321609.html . 26 May 2022 . subscription . live . . 22 October 2005 . 7 February 2016 . Byrnes, Sholto.
36. Web site: Peter Robert Voser . Check Company . 28 July 2017.
37. Web site: Pitcher . Greg . Happy Place: Richmond Cottage Fearne Cotton Lived In While Hosting Top Of The Pops Listed For £1m . Evening Standard . 18 November 2023.
38. Ashford [married name Devlin], Margaret Mary Julia [Daisy]]. Brunner, Hugo. 23 September 2004. 10.1093/ref:odnb/30769. 978-0-19-861412-8. 6 January 2022.
39. Web site: Daisy Ashford . 29 November 2020 . National Portrait Gallery, London.
40. Web site: Chris Brasher Memorial Run. . The Petersham Trust . Petersham Trust Newsletter . February 2004 . 12 April 2013 . https://archive.today/20130504223639/http://ptn.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/newsletter0204.html . 4 May 2013 . dead .
41. The English traveller: Charles G. Harper, 1863–1943 . Webster, N W . Antiquarian Book Monthly Review . 1974 . 16.
42. Joan Carlile . 2004 . 3 December 2012 . Burnette, Arianne. 10.1093/ref:odnb/4681 .
43. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10847031/Prince-Rupert-zu-Loewenstein-obituary.html Prince Rupert zu Loewenstein – obituary
44. News: Gloria . Tessler . 12 January 2024 . Richard Rampton, KC . 11 June 2024 . . PressReader.
45. Web site: 2021 . Talk by Judy Weleminsky on Tony Rampton OBE, Petersham's pioneering philanthropist . 10 May 2021 . Richmond Local History Society.
46. Judy Weleminsky 19.4.21 Tony Rampton, Petersham's pioneering philanthropist . Judy Weleminsky. Weleminsky, Judy. Richmond Local History Society via YouTube. 26 April 2021. 6 June 2024.
47. [Judy Weleminsky|Weleminsky, Judy]
48. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/horton-sir-robert-wilmot-2199/text2841/ "Horton, Sir Robert Wilmot (1784–1841)"