This can be a massive park subsequent to the Thames in Strawberry Hill that was as soon as principally an island within the Thames. It additionally presents one of many few riverside paths open to the general public between Twickenham and Kingston Bridge.
About half of the general public backyard is made up of a number of non-public gardens that used to again onto the Thames from grand homes, however on the flip of the twentieth century, Twickenham City District began shopping for among the homes to open up the land for the general public.
Nevertheless, the non-public gardens solely comprised a part of the park, as the remainder was an island within the Thames. In case you stand in the course of the park, roughly the half closest to the Thames was the island, and also you’re standing the place the creek that separated the island from the land would have run.
Fashionable park overlay on OS Map from 1869
To create the park, first the council wanted to purchase up the non-public homes.
The primary to be purchased was Radnor Home in 1902, which sat in the course of the fashionable day park. The island was raised in peak utilizing gravel excavated from the development of Teddington Lock, and the brand new park opened in 1903.
The southern half of the gardens got here from Cross Deep Corridor, which was demolished in 1906.
The park was prolonged once more, this time northwards, when WWII bombs destroyed two homes there, and in addition destroyed Radnor Home, which was nonetheless standing on the time.
The bowling inexperienced was created in 1920 and has been the house of Strawberry Hill Bowling Membership since then.
A First World Battle memorial, designed by the sculptor Mortimer Brown was erected in 1921. Apparently, it was sited to be seen from the Royal Star and Garter Residence for disabled troopers and sailors on Richmond Hill. Nevertheless, even when the timber weren’t in the best way, you’d have wanted a very good telescope to see the monument from the house, because it’s a few miles to the west.
The river between the island and the shoreline silted up within the Nineteen Sixties — in all probability because of the island peak being raised within the 1900s. The channel was stuffed in fully in 1965, becoming a member of the gardens to the island for the primary time and creating a large open garden that’s there as we speak. The trail of the previous river channel can nonetheless be seen, although — it’s the pavement that runs alongside the facet of the bowling inexperienced, then runs throughout the garden, which exhibits up in dry climate as a noticeable broad mark crossing the garden.
A part of Radnor Home nonetheless stays, because the raised seating space. One outstanding survivor, although, is the flood peak marker from March 1774, displaying simply how deep the flood will need to have been.
The park nonetheless floods at occasions, though by no means to that scale now.
Elsewhere, the the Grade II listed gazebo and summer season home are additionally left-overs from the previous home.
A curious twist is that in 1924, there was an argument about the price of placing up a fence between the park and the highway or perhaps rising a hedge to guard youngsters from unintentionally falling down the slope. It appears they will need to have agreed on the hedge as a result of, in 1965, motorists complained that the hedge meant they couldn’t admire the park when driving previous.
Shouldn’t they be trying on the highway?
At present, the park looks like a really massive open garden house, primarily occupied on my go to by canine walkers, after which plenty of timber, primarily on the previous island facet of the park. A restaurant sits subsequent to the bowling inexperienced searching over the conflict memorial.
A deal with although is the riverside stroll, properly unfenced or hedged, however with plenty of crops alongside the bankside which goes to be good for the wildlife and possibly prevents the riverbank from being stuffed individuals individuals feeding the birds.
There’s additionally a neighborhood Mates group that liaises with the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on points affecting the park.
This text was printed on ianVisits
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Source : https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/londons-pocket-parks-radnor-gardens-tw1-73074/
