Radnor Gardens is a small public riverside garden and recreation ground in Strawberry Hill, south of

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

, offering picturesque views. It has a

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

memorial, a grass area, a

bowling green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

and a children's

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

Location

Radnor Gardens is located south of Twickenham town centre between the A310, ''Cross Deep'', and the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

riverbank. It affords one of the few pedestrian points of access to the river on the

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

bank between Twickenham and Kingston Bridge. Flooding of the footpath adjacent to the river is not uncommon, with water often extended a few metres further into the Gardens.

History and etymology

The Gardens were created in 1903 by Twickenham Urban District from several adjacent riverside properties dating back to the 17th century; '' Radnor House'' from which the name derives, formed the central section of the gardens, the riverside garden of '' Cross Deep House'' provides the southern area, and the grounds of ''Cross Deep Hall'' to the north. Several remnants of these form features of the modern gardens including the walls of the base of Radnor House and two gothic structures; a gazebo and

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

polygonal summer house. After the purchase of Radnor House in 1902, of gravel from the construction of

Teddington Lock Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first built in 1810. The limit of legal powe ...

was used to raise the level of Cross Deep Ait, a former ait adjacent to Swan Island that formed part of the gardens, to protect it from flooding. The two aits are shown as single entity on

John Rocque John Rocque (originally Jean; –1762) was a French-born British surveyor and cartographer, best known for his detailed John Rocque's Map of London, 1746, map of London published in 1746. Life and career Rocque was born in France in about 1704 ...

's map of 1746. The channel separating the island from the bank silted up and was filled in the late 1960s. The course of the former channel can be discerned in the lawns during dry weather and metal remnants of connecting footbridges can be perceived lining the central and southern footpaths in the gardens today. Radnor House and the gardens were officially opened on 11 April 1903. The bowling green was created in 1920 and has been the home of ''Strawberry Hill Bowling Club'' since then. Twickenham War Memorial by Mortimer Brown was erected in 1921, which, despite facing south, was sited to form a focal point of a vista from the Royal Star and Garter Home on Richmond Hill to the north-east. The playground was constructed in 2006.

Administration

The gardens are administered by Richmond upon Thames Borough Council and form the southern limit of the Twickenham

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

. A local group, ''Friends of Radnor Gardens'', liaises with the local authority and helped develop the PPG 17- compliant 'Radnor Gardens Management Plan'. The gardens have been winners of the

Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...

since 2010.

References

External links

Official website

Friends of Radnor Gardens

Strawberry Hill Bowling Club
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Radnor Gardens 1903 establishments in England Bowling greens in England Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Twickenham Parks and open spaces on the River Thames