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Richmond Park History

A Royal park with nearly 400 years of story

Richmond Park has been part of London’s landscape for almost four centuries. It was created in 1637 by Charles I as a royal hunting ground, and while it wasn’t particularly popular at the time, that decision ended up shaping one of the most important green spaces in the city.

Because it was enclosed and kept in royal ownership, the park was protected from the spread of London as it grew. Without that, it’s very likely this landscape would have been built over long ago.

Instead, we still have one of the largest and most remarkable urban parks in the world.

 

MORE THAN JUST OPEN SPACE

A landscape shaped by history

Over the centuries, Richmond Park has remained a working royal park, but it has also become a place of quiet escape for Londoners.

Its woodland, grasslands and open views have been carefully preserved, and today it’s home to ancient trees, wildlife, and the famous deer that still roam freely across the park.

What makes it special isn’t just its size, it’s the fact that it still feels natural, even with London right on its edge.

PRESERVING THE STORY OF THE PARK

The Hearsum Collection

Since 1997, Daniel Hearsum began collecting historical material connected to Richmond Park, with the aim of preserving its story for future generations.

In 2009, The Friends of Richmond Park and The Hearsum Collection formed a partnership, and the collection is now a registered charity working to catalogue, digitise and share this history more widely.

It’s an ongoing project, and much of it has been made possible by volunteers.

STILL VISIBLE TODAY

If you visit Pembroke Lodge, you’ll already see parts of this history on display. Interpretation boards near the entrance share stories from the park, and images of the lost houses of the Park can be found inside the building.

It’s a small reminder that the park you see today has had many different lives before it became what it is now.

LOOKING AHEAD

Making the history more accessible

There are ongoing plans to create a dedicated visitor centre so that the Hearsum Collection can be shared more widely and made easier to explore.

The goal is simple, to make sure the story of Richmond Park isn’t just preserved, but properly experienced by the people who visit it.