Old Deer Park
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is 90.37 hectares (223.3 acre) in extent. The park is bounded generally by the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
to the west, Kew Gardens to the north, and urban areas of Richmond town to the east and south. Owned by the Crown Estate
Crown Estate
In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a property portfolio owned by the Crown. Although still belonging to the monarch and inherent with the accession of the throne, it is no longer the private property of the reigning monarch and cannot be sold by him/her, nor do the revenues from it belong...
, the park forms part of a larger historic landscape stretching from Richmond to Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
and across the river to Isleworth
Isleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
. The majority of Old Deer Park is occupied by the Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club, and this has been so since the late nineteenth century. Within the club's boundaries are two eighteen-hole courses, plus a separate area within which lies the Grade I listed Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory
Kew Observatory was an astronomical and terrestrial magnetic observatoryfounded by King George III , located within the Old Deer Park of the former Richmond Palace in Richmond, Surrey, now within Greater London. The former royal manor of Kew lies to the immediate north...
, established by King George III in 1769. To the SW of the Observatory, under the fairway of the 14th hole of the golf course, lie the foundations of the former Carthusian Sheen Priory
Sheen Priory
Sheen Priory in Sheen, now Richmond, London was a former Carthusian monastery founded in 1414 within the royal manor of Sheen, on the south bank of the Thames, upstream and approximately 9 miles southwest of the Palace of Westminster...
, founded by Henry V in 1414. The low-lying parts of the park alongside the river constitute flood storage areas
Flood-meadow
A flood-meadow is an area of grassland or pasture beside a river, subject to seasonal flooding. Flood-meadows are distinct from water-meadows in that the latter are artificially created and maintained, with flooding controlled on a seasonal and even daily basis.- Examples :* Angel & Greyhound...
, which from time-to-time provide flood relief for areas around Richmond Lock
Richmond Lock and Footbridge
Richmond Lock and Footbridge is a lock and pedestrian bridge, situated on the River Thames in south west London, England and is a Grade II* listed structure. It is the furthest downstream of all the Thames locks and is the only one owned and operated by the Port of London Authority...
along this stretch of the Thames.
Old Deer Park's heritage as an historic royal landscape in a favoured riverside location has become compromised over recent decades by instances of inappropriate recreational and parking development, general neglect, and insufficient control of tree planting. A long-term strategy is now being implemented in order to arrest and reverse this decline.
History
In the mid-sixteenth century, Richmond PalaceRichmond Palace
Richmond Palace was a Thameside royal residence on the right bank of the river, upstream of the Palace of Westminster, to which it lay 9 miles SW of as the crow flies. It it was erected c. 1501 within the royal manor of Sheen, by Henry VII of England, formerly known by his title Earl of Richmond,...
was a favourite residence of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and in 1574 she granted "Our park of Isleworth otherwise called the Newe Parke of Richmonde" to Edward Bacon. This appears somewhat confusing as Isleworth
Isleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
Parish and Manor lie on the left "Middlesex" bank of the Thames, here on the north and west, opposite the "Surrey" bank within which Richmond is situated.
After the death of Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, at Richmond, in 1603 a hunting park was established by King James I by means of adding monastic land to the existing park and creating an enlarged area of 370 acres (1.5 km²). This then became known as The New Park of Richmond. The present name 'Old Deer Park' was adopted after 1637, following the establishment by King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
of the much larger Richmond Park
Richmond Park
Richmond Park is a 2,360 acre park within London. It is the largest of the Royal Parks in London and Britain's second largest urban walled park after Sutton Park, Birmingham. It is close to Richmond, Ham, Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon, Roehampton and East Sheen...
on the other side of the town.
Construction of the railway line westwards from Richmond Station
Richmond station (London)
Richmond station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London which is managed by South West Trains....
in 1847/8 restricted the access from Richmond Green
Richmond Green
Richmond Green is a recreation area located near the centre of Richmond, which is a town of about twenty thousand inhabitants situated in south west London. The green is essentially square in shape and its open grassland, framed with broadleaf trees, extends to roughly twelve acres...
to Old Deer Park, except for one narrow bridge. Eighty-five years later a new arterial road (the "Great Chertsey Road"
A316 road
The A316, also known in parts as the Great Chertsey Road, is a major road in England, which runs from the A315 at Chiswick to the M3 motorway....
), complete with a high ramped approach to a new bridge over the Thames (Twickenham Bridge
Twickenham Bridge
Twickenham Bridge crosses the River Thames in southwest London, England. Built in 1933 as part of the newly constructed "Chertsey Arterial Road", the bridge connects the Old Deer Park district of Richmond on the south bank of the river to St. Margarets on the north bank, both within the London...
— built in 1933), was also constructed across the southern end of the park, close to and roughly parallel with the railway. This heightened the sense of separation between town and park — alleviating this problem is also part of the new strategy.
The park was used to accommodate 5,000 of the 8,000 Scouts
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
attending the 1st World Scout Jamboree
1st World Scout Jamboree
The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held from July 30, 1920 to August 8, 1920 and was hosted by the United Kingdom at Kensington Olympia in London...
in 1920.
Cricket ground
The Old Deer Park has been used a venue for cricket since at least 1867, when Richmond played a United South of England ElevenUnited South of England Eleven
The United South of England Eleven was an itinerant cricket team founded in November 1864 by Edgar Willsher, as secretary, and John Lillywhite, as treasurer....
. During its history, the ground has played host to a number of Middlesex Second XI
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
and Surrey Second XI
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
matches.
Despite historically being within Surrey, ground has played host to List-A matches involving Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
, the first of which saw them Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
in the 2000 Norwich Union National League. In 2001 the Middlesex Cricket Board
Middlesex Cricket Board
The Middlesex Cricket Board was formed in 1996. It is the governing body for all recreational cricket in the historic county of Middlesex.The Board of the MCB consists of four representatives nominated by the Middlesex County Cricket Club, three nominated by other specific affiliated associations,...
played their only List-A match at the ground in the 2001 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
2001 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
The 2001 Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy was the 1st Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy following its change of name from the NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 1 May and 1 September 2001...
against Berkshire
Berkshire County Cricket Club
Berkshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Berkshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and MCCA Knockout Trophy....
. From 2000 to 2004, the ground held 5 List-A matches, the last of which saw Middlesex play Scotland in the 2004 totesport League.
Starting in the 2003 Twenty20 Cup
2003 Twenty20 Cup
The 2003 Twenty20 Cup was the inaugural Twenty20 Cup competition for English and Welsh county clubs. The finals day took place on 19 July at Trent Bridge, and was won by the Surrey Lions.-Background:...
against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
, Middlesex have used the ground for 5 Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
matches to date.
In local domestic cricket, the ground is the home venue of Richmond Cricket Club
Richmond Cricket Club, Surrey
Richmond Cricket Club was based in Richmond, Surrey and was a leading club during the 18th century, its team taking part in several major cricket matches. Its home venue was at Richmond Green.-Earliest mentions:...
.
Main elements of the park
- Recreation Ground, with open recreation areas, football, rugby and other pitches.
- Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club courses.
- King's Observatory compound.
- Richmond Athletic Ground, also home to London ScottishLondon Scottish F.C.London Scottish Football Club is a rugby union club in England. It is a member of both the Rugby Football Union and the Scottish Rugby Union.-History:...
and RichmondRichmond F.C.Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs...
rugby clubs. - Richmond Swimming Pool & Lido, now called "Pools on the Park".
- Sports Ground with rugby (London Welsh), cricket, tennis and bowls.
- Public car park and miscellaneous commercial buildings.