What you need to know about Richmond upon Thames
Alongside the boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton and Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames forms part of South West London. It is the only borough in London to sit on both sides of the River Thames and approximately half of its total area is parkland. The borough has a family-friendly atmosphere, offering plenty of attractions and facilities for people of all ages.
Richmond upon Thames is the most expensive borough in this part of London. The average property price in Richmond upon Thames was £918,405 which is markedly above South West London's average of £791,832.
Terraced properties were the most common type of property to be sold, fetching an average price of £904,800. The borough also saw a good percentage of both flats and semi-detached properties being sold, with the averages for those sitting at £496,283 and £1,181,037 respectively.
Richmond upon Thames is comprised of many desirable areas, including Kew, Richmond, Petersham, Twickenham, Strawberry Hill, Teddington, and Whitton. With an average price of £2,485,208, Petersham was the most expensive area within the borough. Hanworth commanded the lowest prices with the average coming in at £388,375.
What is living in Richmond upon Thames like?
Richmond upon Thames has consistently been named as one of the best places to live in London, with its beautiful architecture, close proximity to central London and excellent selection of amenities being just a few reasons as to why this is the case. The borough is home to a variety of good-sized supermarkets as well as independent retailers and frequent farmers' markets.
The sheer quantity and variety of open spaces in the borough is a huge draw. In fact, a stroll up Richmond Hill may almost convince you that you aren't in London. Richmond Park has free-roaming fallow and red deer, and it's also an excellent place to run, cycle and entertain kids of all ages.
Most of Richmond upon Thames sits outside the ULEZ zone so unless vehicle owners will be driving in Mortlake or around the London Wetland Centre, there is no need to ensure the vehicle either complies with emissions standards or prepare to pay the £12.50 per day charge. This does have an effect on the air quality across the borough. In Twickenham, residents experience levels that exceed WHO guidelines by more than double each month. Although in Hampton exposure still exceeds WHO guidelines, residents are likely to experience fewer effects over the long term.
Families with school-age children will be pleased to learn that Richmond upon Thames is home to a variety of excellent primary and secondary schools. Orleans Primary School and Orleans Park School in Twickenham have both been rated as outstanding by Ofsted alongside several others. Additionally, the borough is also home to a variety of independent schools.
Living in Richmond upon Thames pros and cons
Pro: Lots to see and do
In addition to being home to Richmond Park, which is the largest of London's much-loved parks, Richmond upon Thames also has a variety of other open spaces, including Kew Gardens, Old Deer Park, Hampton Court Park, and Bushy Park. Old Deer Park has an outdoor pool that is open to the public during the summer alongside indoor pools that are open year-round.
There are also a range of other attractions in the borough, including Hampton Court Palace, Twickenham Stadium, the National Archives, and the London Wetlands Centre which spans more than 100 acres of land. The Museum of Richmond hosts rotating exhibitions, and during the summer months, Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare hosts a series of music and drama performances.
In 2015, Barnes in the north-eastern part of the borough began hosting the Barnes Children's Literature Festival, which is the largest children's literary event in London and the second largest in the whole of Europe.
Con: Limited underground service
When considered alongside other West London boroughs, Richmond upon Thames is at the bottom of the pack when it comes to London Underground service. The north-eastern part of Richmond upon Thames has two stations that are on the District line, however the south-western part of the borough is only served by suburban rail services.
Is Richmond upon Thames a safe place to live?
With a rate of 16.44, the borough of Richmond upon Thames has a very low crime rate. Between November 2019 and October 2021, there were a total of 23,737 offences reported of which just over 6,000 fell under the violence against the person category. Theft was the second most reported offence totalling just over 5,000 reports. Conversely, possession of weapons, robbery and sexual offences were the least reported offences across the borough.
As with every borough in London, there are areas that experience higher rates of crime than others. In Richmond Park, for example, there were 149 offences reported between November 2019 and October 2021. Drug offences accounted for 25 of those crimes, with vehicle offences and public order offences accounting for 22 and 21 of those crimes respectively. The area of Barnes recorded 1,074 offences in the same period, with vehicle offences, theft and violence against the person accounting for more than half of those crimes.
Which celebrities live in Richmond upon Thames?
As Richmond upon Thames forms part of Outer London and offers a markedly different lifestyle than the hustle and bustle of many parts of Inner London, many famous faces have chosen to make this borough their home. Before their split, Angelina Jolie and her husband Brad Pitt purchased a £10 million home in the borough.
Pete Townshend of Who fame has a sprawling Richmond mansion and has counted everyone from Amanda Holden to Richard Ashcroft and Rick Astley as neighbours. Sir David Attenborough has a property close to Richmond Park and he also opted to purchase the pub next door that he has converted into a haven for wildlife.
Actor Tom Hardy has owned a property in Richmond upon Thames since 2013, which isn't far from his hometown of Hammersmith. Fellow actors Richard E. Grant, Anna Chancellor, and Helen Baxendale also own properties in Richmond.
Alan Turing called Ivy House in Hampton High Street home in the mid 1940s while he was working at Teddington's National Physical Laboratory. Playwright and actor Sir Noel Coward was born in Teddington and a bust created by Avril Vellacott can be seen in Teddington Library.
This really is just the tip of the celebrity iceberg and after spending some time in the borough, it won't be difficult to see why Richmond upon Thames is such a draw for the famous and non-famous alike.
Things to consider when moving to Richmond upon Thames
There is simply no getting around the fact that property prices in Richmond upon Thames are high. In the period between 2018 and 2019, the average rental property in the borough was priced at £1,600 per month. During the same period, median earnings in the borough were £42,982 which was slightly below the £48,000 annual income required to afford that level of rent.
With that in mind, it is essential to determine whether Richmond upon Thames is a place that can offer you the lifestyle you really want. If it's within your budget, there are many wonderful areas within the borough that can provide an almost village-like atmosphere with the benefits of being close to all the activity of the city centre.
