London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
—  London borough  —

Coat of arms
Council logo
Richmond shown within Greater London
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region London
Ceremonial county Greater London
Status London borough
Admin HQ Twickenham
Incorporated 1 April 1965
Government
 • Type London borough council
 • Body Richmond London Borough Council
 • Leadership Leader Cllr. The Rt Hon. The Lord True (Conservative)
 • Mayor Cllr. Rita Palmer
 • MPs Vince Cable (Lib Dem)
Zac Goldsmith (Con)
 • London Assembly Cllr. Tony Arbour (Con) AM for South West
 • EU Parliament London
Area
 • Total 22.17 sq mi (57.41 km2)
Area rank 262nd (of 326)
Population (2011 est.)
 • Total 187,500
 • Rank 89th (of 326)
 • Density Bad rounding here8,500/sq mi (Bad rounding here3,300/km2)
 • Ethnicity[1] 75.7% White British
2.6% White Irish
10.6% Other White
0.5% White & Black Caribbean
0.3% White & Black African
1.0% White & Asian
0.7% Other Mixed
2.8% Indian
0.7% Pakistani
0.4% Bangladeshi
0.8% Other Asian
0.8% Black Caribbean
0.7% Black African
0.2% Other Black
0.9% Chinese
1.3% Other
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Postcodes TW, SW, KT
Police force Metropolitan Police
Website www.richmond.gov.uk

The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (About this sound pronunciation (help·info)) is a London borough in south west London, England, which forms part of Outer London. It is the only London borough situated both north and south of the River Thames. However, the river is much narrower here than it is in Central London, and geographically it runs more south to north, rather than west to east in this area. The local authority is Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council.

Contents

Settlement[edit]

It can been seen from a map that the borough is not entirely urbanised – there are some large areas of open space within the borough boundaries, including the large urban park Richmond Park. The borough is residential and home to some of the most affluent districts of London such as Barnes, Richmond and East Sheen. The main suburban developments are Hampton and Teddington in the south, Twickenham, St Margarets and Whitton in the central area west of the River Thames, with the more central districts of Richmond, Kew, Mortlake and Barnes following the loop of the river. The area and towns surrounding it are very attractive, and boast many fine examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture.

List of districts[edit]

Attractions, parks and open spaces[edit]

Main article: Richmond upon Thames parks and open spaces
Hampton Court Palace
A view from Richmond Hill over the Terraced Gardens.

Parks take up a great deal of the borough and include Richmond Park, Bushy Park, Kew Gardens, and Hampton Court Park. There are over 100 parks and open spaces within its boundary and 21 miles (34 km) of river frontage. 140 hectares within the borough are designated as part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.

The borough is also home to the National Physical Laboratory and the attractions of Hampton Court Palace, Twickenham Stadium and the WWT London Wetlands Centre draw both domestic and international tourism.

In December 2006, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of Richmond upon Thames were the second most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 29.8% of the population participate at least three times a week for 30 minutes.[2]

History[edit]

The borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Twickenham from Middlesex with the Municipal Borough of Richmond and the Municipal Borough of Barnes from Surrey; council offices were centred at York House in Twickenham. The name 'Richmond upon Thames' was coined at that time; it is now commonly but inaccurately used to refer to Richmond only.

Politics[edit]

The borough currently has a Conservative-led council.The previous administration was led by the Liberal Democrats.

Conservative Lib Dem Labour Others
2010 Conservative 30 24 - -
2006 Liberal Democrat 19 35 - -
2002 Conservative 39 15 - -
1998 Liberal Democrat 14 34 4 -
1994 Liberal Democrat 7 43 2 -
1990 Liberal Democrat 4 48 - -
1986 Liberal/SDP Alliance 3 49 - -
1982 Conservative (minority) 26 26 - -
1978 Conservative 34 18 - -
1974 Conservative 36 10 8 -
1971 Conservative 37 3 14 -
1968 Conservative 54 - - -
1964 Conservative 41 - 12 1

Transport[edit]

The borough is connected to central London by the National Rail services of South West Trains. The London Underground, District Line, serves Richmond and Kew Gardens stations: both are also served by London Overground trains on the North London Line.

List of stations[edit]

The other stations are:

Buses[edit]

London bus routes 33, 65, 72, 110, 111, 190, 209, 216, 265, 267, 281, 283, 285, 290, 337, 371, 391, 411, 419, 430, 465, 481, 485, 490, 493, H22, H37, R68, R70, X26 and night routes N9 and N22.

Education[edit]

Main article: List of schools in Richmond upon Thames

Richmond upon Thames is the local education authority for the borough, and has responsibility for 52 schools.

Sport and leisure[edit]

Main article: List of sports clubs in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Harlequins during the 2005–2006 season
View from a helicopter of Ham House, the River Thames and Ham Polo Club

The borough has a Non-League football club Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. who play at Beveree Stadium. The Twickenham Stadium hosts rugby internationals and the Twickenham Stoop is home to the Harlequins Rugby Team and London Broncos rugby league team.

Richmond Rugby Club are also active and share their grounds with London Scottish. The Richmond Minis is a large youth rugby organisation whilst the Richmond Heavies organise games for more veteran players.

Cricket is played in many locations around the borough including Ham Common, Richmond Green and Kew Green.

The River Thames flows through the borough and there are a number of sailing and rowing clubs located along it.

The borough has a large amount of equestrian activity; this includes the Horse Rangers Association and Ham Polo Club.

Richmond's swimming pools, Pools on the Park, are located on Twickenham Road close to the town centre. The outdoor pool is open in the summer months only.

Sister cities[edit]

Richmond has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc.:[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)
  1. ^ Data Management and Analysis Group, Greater London Authority, Demography Update October 2007, (2007)
  2. ^ "Active People Survey 1". Sport England. Retrieved 22 November 2012. 
  3. ^ Sister Cities information obtained from the Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)." Retrieved on 28 June 2007.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

Coordinates: 51°25′N 0°20′W / 51.417°N 0.333°W / 51.417; -0.333

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=London_Borough_of_Richmond_upon_Thames&oldid=559873582"