Richmond upon Thames, West London

Kew Gardens are probably the best and most famous botanical gardens in the world and the model on which many others are based. There are several interesting buildings including a royal palace and large glasshouses ranging from a few years old to several hundred years housing tropical plants and even oldest pot-plant, which lives in the Palm-house. Outside there are plants and trees from all over the world. There are indoor and outdoor restaurants including one in the Orangery building. Kew Gardens is also used as a venue for summer concerts.

See my separate Kew Botanical Gardens article...

The Terrace at the top of Richmond Hill looks down into the Thames Valley below, at the most beautiful section, where the river bends round towards Kingston, with Twickenham across the river and some small islands and moored boats in between. The beautiful Richmond Bridge to the right and the gates of Richmond Park just a few hundred yards away. The Terrace extends for several hundred yards, with a wonderful view from it's entire length and many wooden benches to sit on, and maps in front detailing the various points of interest in the view. Mick Jagger's house overlooks The Terrace and the clientele from the beautiful little pub, The Roebuck, empty out onto the Terrace, which makes a perfect place to enjoy a drink. .

The view is the best in London. Ham house is visible from The Terrace. Parking is difficult on Richmond Hill, where it is mostly restricted to residents, but free parking is available in the park. Traffic on summer weekends is terrible, so coming by train or bus would be far better. It is free to visit the hill and the terrace, and inexpensive food is available nearby, or very expensive beer from the pubs on the hill.

Richmond Park

This photo was taken from my lounge window in Richmond.

Indian ring-neck parakeets, a kind of small parrot, live wild in the parks in Richmond Borough and are gradually spreading across the country. There are various stories about how they got there, but my favourite is that they escaped during the making of a film in Richmond Park (Richmond is a popular place for film-makers because of the natural beauty, proximity to central London and the film studios and a selection of ancient architecture nearby) The escapees formed a breeding colony in the park which has an abundance of trees and food for these amusing birds and a surprisingly mild climate. They are also fruit trees in the gardens of the wealthy Richmond residents (The parakeets are not universally popular).