Human settlement in England
Grave of the explorer
George Vancouver
Watchman's hut and lock-up, erected in 1787 and now
Grade II listed
St Peter's parish church
The former
All Saints' Church , now a private house
Sudbrook House , now the home of
Richmond Golf Club
Montrose House was for many years the home of
Tommy Steele .
Petersham war memorial, in the churchyard of St Peter's
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 , 3 acres (1.2 ha) of
meadow . It rendered £6 10s 0d.
[3]
Archibald Campbell , later 3rd Duke of Argyll and Earl of Islay, was born at
Ham House in 1682.
[4] 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 .
[5] 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.
[5] 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.
[6]
In 1839
Charles Dickens rented Elm Cottage, renamed Elm Lodge,
[7] where he wrote
Nicholas Nickleby .
[8]
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.
[9] Lord Russell's grandson,
Bertrand Russell , spent some of his childhood there.
[10]
[11] During
World War II the
GHQ Liaison Regiment (also known as Phantom) established its regimental headquarters nearby at the Richmond Hill Hotel,
[12] with its base (including the
officers' mess and
billet ) at Pembroke Lodge.
[13]
In the early 19th century,
Charles Stanhope , styled Lord Petersham, later Earl of Harrington, gave the Petersham name to a type of
greatcoat .
[14] In 1955 Petersham also gave its name to
HMS Petersham ,
[15] which was a
Ham-class minesweeper .
Landmarks
Notable buildings
Listed buildings include a
watchman's box, that also served as a
village lock-up
[16] and dates from 1787.
[17]
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.
[18]
Adjacent to Montrose House and equally as impressive is Rutland Lodge, built in 1666 for a
Lord Mayor of London ;
[19] it is Grade II* listed.
[20]
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.
[21]
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
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.
[22]
Sudbrook School is a
nursery school housed in Petersham's village hall on Bute Avenue.
Religious sites
St Peter's Church
Petersham Parish Church is believed to pre-date the
Norman conquest of England , as a church at Petersham is mentioned in
Domesday Book (1086).
[3]
All Saints' Church
All Saints' , on Bute Avenue, was built as a church but was never consecrated.
[23] It was built between 1899 and 1909 by
Leeds architect
John Kelly for Mrs Rachael Warde (née Walker) (1841–1906)
[24] as a memorial to her father Samuel Walker and her aunt Ellen Walker.
[25] During World War II it was used as an
Anti-Aircraft Command post
[26]
[27]
[28] and it has also been used as a recording studio
[29] and as a filming location.
[30] It is now a private residence.
[30]
Sport
Richmond Golf Club , a private golf club, is situated in the historic
Sudbrook Park ,
[31] adjacent to Richmond Park. The Grade I listed building Sudbrook House, in the park, has been its clubhouse since 1898.
[32]
Ham and Petersham Cricket Club , whose home matches are played in
Ham , was established in 1815.
[33]
Ranelagh Harriers running club is based behind
The Dysart restaurant.
[34]
Notable people
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.
[35]
Michael Frayn (born 1933), playwright and novelist, and his wife
Claire Tomalin (born 1933), journalist and biographer, live in Petersham.
[36]
The entertainer
Tommy Steele (born 1936) bought
Montrose House in 1969.
[37]
[38] He sold it in about 2004.
[39]
Lynne Truss (born 1955), author, journalist, novelist, and radio broadcaster and dramatist, grew up in Petersham.
[40]
Peter Voser (b. 1958), the former CEO of
Royal Dutch Shell , lived in Petersham. He has since moved back to his native Switzerland.
[41]
Fearne Cotton (b. 1981), TV presenter, lived at Chestnut Cottage, Petersham 2004–2008.
[42]
Historical figures
Daisy Ashford (1881–1972), who is most famous for writing
The Young Visiters , was born at Elm Lodge, Petersham.
[43]
[44]
Chris Brasher (1928–2003), an athlete and sports journalist who co-founded the
London Marathon , lived in River Lane, Petersham.
[35]
The author and illustrator
Charles George Harper (1863–1943) lived in Petersham in later life, and died there in 1943.
[45]
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.
[46]
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.
[47] It is an early 18th-century house, built for
Catherine Douglas, Duchess of Queensberry , and Grade II listed by
Historic England .
[48]
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),
[49] who became a libel lawyer. Tony and Joan Rampton are buried in St Peter's churchyard.
[50]
[51]
[52]
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;
[5] he is buried in St Peter's churchyard.
[6]
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 .
[53]
See also
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^
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