Richmond and Kingston-Upon-Thames.
Hilary and I had a lovely day (Claudio took the “day off,” as he put it, from travels) in Richmond, in Southwest London, and then Kingston-Upon-Thames, a little further south and an outer borough of the city.
While talking with Claudio on the small balcony overlooking the back garden here, I happily remembered to photograph the painting of Claudio and Hilary dancing that a friend painted some years ago, long hung outside in the covered balcony. I love it, and they do kinda look like this.
We left around 11, taking a combination of Underground and mainline trains to reach Richmond, a lovely part of London I haven’t visited in years. This is where we had hoped to take a Thames cruise to from Westminster Pier a couple of days ago, heading west along the river, a different type of ride than the one we took east of the city to Greenwich with Tom, which passes along the Thames and through the city and its major landmarks. Sailing west to Richmond along the Thames passes away from the hubbub of the city and into and along the serene Thames’ countryside. That’s where the train took us today, to the lovely London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, one of the more affluent of the London boroughs.
Richmond has long been recognized for its beauty, serenity, and charm, with many a poem written about it, sitting on both sides of the Thames as it winds into London from the west.
“I shall not ask a lovelier dream, a sweeter scene, fair Thames, than thine; As neath a summer’s decline… reflecting from thy face divine, the flower wreathed brow of Richmond Hill.” Alaric Watts, 19th century British poet
The day was a little cooler, but still pretty warm, and after arriving in Richmond, about 90 minutes from Barnet by train, we walked through the lovely town, which has a village like quality, and along the river walk, which heads toward Kew Gardens, just a couple miles east and back into London, and then walking west along the river, toward Hampton Court, about 6 miles along the Thames.
We stopped at a small riverside cafe along the walk, and there are plenty of places to eat along the river walk and in the immediately surrounding town, enjoying being here, and then walked up to Richmond Hill, for the lovely and much quoted views of the river and the land around it off into the distance. William Byrd, the founder of Richmond, Virginia, was so moved by the view that he named the new city after Richmond Upon Thames. Wow, huh?
Another wow – Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver, for whom the city of Vancouver, Canada is named, died and is buried here in Richmond.
We continued walking, and headed into Richmond Park, known for its deer (although we didn’t see any), before slowly walking back into town, probably around 3:30 or a little later by now, still enjoying the lovely town and its views.
We decided to keep going, and took the bus to Kingston Upon Thames, a little further west along the river and a little further south from London, on the outer edges of the city. Kingston is a nice town also, which Hilary remembered visiting and enjoying a number of years ago – but it is no Richmond. It lacks the quaintness and the views, and is more of a working town, with a large pedestrian area and shopping centers, and although also sitting along the Thames, it lacks the same picturesque river views and feel.
Kingston is a medieval market town, dating back to the 12th century and earlier, with a still working market in the old Market Place sitting at the center of the town. The town was already an important settlement before there was a formal market, because if its its position at a major Thames crossing, and the old Market Place appears to have developed by 1170, with records dated 1242 describing the market.
We grabbed a little something to eat from a Danish patisserie and cafe in town, and then walked to the station and began our maybe two hour journey back to the flat, arriving home by around 9. I got ready for tomorrow, as I’m heading on the next leg of this trip, and was in bed by 11.
Tomorrow I catch a noon train to Edinburgh where I’ll stay the night, meeting Elana on Wednesday morning for our trip to the northern Scotland highlands and the Faroe Islands.