Editing Richmond Park (section)

==Features==
===Boundary wall===
The brick wall enclosing Richmond Park is {{convert|8|mi|km|spell=in}} long and up to {{convert|9|ft|m|abbr=on}} high.<ref name="FRP Guide103">{{cite book | title=''"Buildings" in'' Guide to Richmond Park | author=Michael Davison | author-link=Buildings |publisher=[[Friends of Richmond Park]] | year=2011 | page=103|isbn= 978-0-9527847-0-8}}</ref> Much of the wall is designated by [[Historic England]] as a Grade II listed building.<ref name="Boundary walls SW">{{National Heritage List for England |num= 1358450|desc=Boundary walls to Richmond Park, section to south west of Kingston Place|date = 6 October 1983|access-date= 5 September 2018}}</ref>

===Gates===
====Six original gates====
[[File:Richmond gates of Richmond Park (March 2010) 2.jpg|thumb|upright|Richmond Gate, designed by [[Sir John Soane]]]]
When the park was enclosed in 1637 there were six gates in the boundary wall: Coombe Gate, Ham Gate, Richmond Gate, Robin Hood Gate, Roehampton Gate and Sheen Gate. Of these, Richmond Gate has the heaviest traffic. The present gates were designed by [[Sir John Soane]]<ref name="Soane">{{cite web | url=https://www.frp.org.uk/gate-design-credited-to-soane/| title=Gate design credited to Soane | date=1 October 2010 | publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] | access-date=10 September 2023}}</ref><ref name="EH Richmond Gate">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1263361|desc=Richmond Gate Lodge, Screen Walls, Gate Piers and Gates|date = 10 January 1950|access-date= 19 October 2016}}</ref> and were widened in 1896.<ref name= McDowall71-78/> Sheen Gate was where the brewer John Lewis asserted pedestrian right of entry in 1755 after Princess Amelia had denied it. The present double gates date from 1926.<ref name= McDowall71-78/> Coombe Gate (later known as Ladderstile Gate) provided access to the park for the parishioners of [[Coombe, Kingston upon Thames|Coombe]], with both a gate and a [[stepladder]]. The gate was locked in the early 1700s and bricked up in about 1735. The stepladder was reinstated after John Lewis's case in 1758 and remained in place until about 1884. The present gate dates from 1901.<ref name= "McDowall71-78">McDowall, pp. 71–78</ref> The present [[wrought iron]] gates of Roehampton Gate were installed in 1899.<ref name= McDowall71-78/> Ham Gate was widened in 1921, when the present wrought iron gates were installed. The ''[[chinoiserie]]'' lantern lights over the gate were installed in 1825.<ref name= McDowall71-78/>

Robin Hood Gate takes its name from the nearby Robin Hood Inn (demolished in 2001) and is close to what is called<ref name="Robin Hood Roundabout">{{cite web | url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/675837 | title=A3 Robin Hood Roundabout | publisher=[[Geograph]] | access-date=8 October 2012 | author=Nigel Cox}}</ref> the Robin Hood roundabout on the [[A3 road|A3]]. Widened in 1907,<ref name= McDowall71-78/> it has been closed to motorised vehicles since a 2003 traffic reduction trial.<ref name="Aylward">{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3051399.stm |title=Park blocks scenic rat run |author=Juliet Aylward |date=10 June 2003 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=1 June 2022}}</ref> Alterations commenced in 2013 to make the gates more suitable for pedestrian use and return some of the hard surface to parkland.<ref name="March 2013 diaries">{{cite web | url=https://www.frp.org.uk/march-park-diaries-2/ | title=March Park diaries | publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] | date=7 March 2013 | access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref>

====Other gates====

Chohole Gate served the farm that stood within the park on the site of the present Kings Farm Plantation. It is first mentioned in 1680.<ref name= McDowall71-78/> The gate now provides access to [[Richmond Park Golf Course]].

Kingston Gate dates from about 1750. The existing gates date from 1898.<ref name= McDowall71-78/>

Bog Gate, or Queen's Gate, which connects the park with [[East Sheen Common]], was built in 1736. Public access to the park via this gate, 24 hours a day, was granted in 1894 and the present "cradle" gate was installed.<ref name="McDowall 70">McDowall, p. 70</ref>

Petersham Gate served the Russell School, replacing the more ornate gates to Petersham Lodge. A disused carriage gate further up the hill was probably a tradesman's entrance to the school or to the Lodge stables.<ref name= McDowall71-78/>

Bishop's Gate in Chisholm Road, previously known as the Cattle Gate, was for use by livestock allowed to pasture in the nineteenth century. It was opened for public use in 1896.<ref name= McDowall71-78/>

Kitchen Garden Gate, hidden behind Teck Plantation, is probably a nineteenth-century gate. It has never been open to the public.<ref name="McDowall 70"/>

Cambrian Gate or Cambrian Road Gate<ref name= McDowall71-78/> was constructed during World War I for access to the newly built South African Military Hospital.<ref name="Lost"/><ref name="Hearsum WWI">{{cite web | url=https://hearsumcollection.org.uk/the-first-world-war-and-richmond-park/ | title=The First World War and Richmond Park | publisher=The Hearsum Collection | date= 2 June 2015 | access-date=15 July 2023}}</ref><ref>Cloake, p. 198</ref> When the hospital was demolished in 1925, the entrance was made permanent, with public access, as a pedestrian gate.<ref name= McDowall71-78/>

===Buildings===
<gallery class=center mode=nolines heights=180 widths=220>
File:Holly Lodge.jpg|[[Holly Lodge]]
File:Pembroke Lodge 10233-5.jpg|[[Pembroke Lodge]]
File:Thatched House Lodge.jpg|[[Thatched House Lodge]]
File:White Lodge.jpg|[[White Lodge, Richmond Park|White Lodge]]
</gallery>

The park includes a Grade I [[listed building]], White Lodge. The park's boundary wall, and ten other buildings, are also Grade II listed:<ref name="Management Plan 16-29"/><ref name="listed">{{cite web | url=https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/18000/listed_buildings_register.pdf | title=Listed buildings Register| publisher=[[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]] | date=14 October 2019 | access-date=31 July 2023}}</ref> Ham Gate Lodge, built in 1742;<ref>Cloake, p. 108</ref> Holly Lodge (formerly known as Bog Lodge) and the [[game larder]] in its courtyard, built in 1735;<ref name="Management Plan 16-29"/><ref name="listed"/> Pembroke Lodge; Richmond Gate and Richmond Gate Lodge, dated 1798 and designed by Sir John Soane;<ref name="Pollard and Crompton 42">Pollard and Crompton, p. 42</ref><ref name="Soane"/><ref name="Richmond Gate Lodge listing">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1263361 |desc=Richmond Gate Lodge, Screen Walls, Gate Piers and Gates|date = 10 January 1950|access-date= 19 October 2016}}</ref>  Thatched House Lodge; and White Ash Lodge and its barns and stables, built in the 1730s or 1740s.<ref name="Management Plan 16-29"/><ref name="listed"/><ref name="FRP Guide100">{{cite book | title=''"Buildings" in'' Guide to Richmond Park | author=Michael Davison  |publisher=[[Friends of Richmond Park]] | year=2011 | page=100|isbn= 978-0-9527847-0-8}}</ref><ref name="White Ash Lodge listing">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1250204 |desc=White Ash Lodge|date = 30 January 1976|access-date= 19 October 2016}}</ref>

The freebord or "deer leap" is a strip of land {{convert|5|m|ftin|abbr=off}} wide, running around most of the perimeter of the park. Owned by the Crown, it allows access to the outside of the boundary wall for inspection and repairs. Householders whose property backs on to the park can use this land by paying an annual fee.<ref name="Management Plan 11">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/41767/richmond-park-management-plan.pdf | title=Public Access | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | work=Richmond Park Management Plan 2008–2018 | date=January 2008 | access-date=8 September 2024 | page=11 | archive-date=2 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202164014/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/41767/richmond-park-management-plan.pdf }}</ref><ref name="Deer Leap">{{Cite web |author=Robert Wood|title=The "Deer Leap" of Richmond Park |url=https://www.richmondhistory.org.uk/wordpress/history-of-richmond/the-deer-leap-of-richmond-park/ |publisher= [[Richmond Local History Society]]|access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref>

====Holly Lodge====
{{Infobox organization
|name         = Holly Lodge Centre
|image        = Holly_Lodge_Centre.png
|image_border =
|size         =
|caption      =
|abbreviation =
|formation    = 1994<ref name="Famous">{{cite press release | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/richmond-park-news/famous-faces-celebrate-20-years-of-the-holly-lodge-centre-in-richmond-park | title=Famous faces celebrate 20 years of the Holly Lodge Centre in Richmond Park | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | date=19 August 2014 | access-date=24 April 2021}}</ref>
|status       = Registered charity<ref name="Charity"/>
|purpose      =
|headquarters = Holly Lodge
|location     = Richmond Park, [[Richmond, London]], [[United Kingdom]]
|region_served = [[Greater London]] and [[Surrey]]<ref name="Charity"/>
|membership   =
|language     =
|leader_title = 
|leader_name  = 
|main_organ   = ''Stepping Stones'' (quarterly newsletter)
|parent_organization =
|affiliations =
|num_staff    = 6<ref name="Staff HLC">{{cite web | url=https://www.thehollylodgecentre.org.uk/about/ | title=Meet our staff | publisher=Holly Lodge Centre | access-date=6 February 2025}}</ref>
|num_volunteers = >80<ref name="Volunteers HLC">{{cite web | url=https://www.thehollylodgecentre.org.uk/about/ | title=Who we are | publisher=Holly Lodge Centre | access-date=6 February 2025}}</ref>
|budget       = £121,168<ref name="Charity">{{cite web | url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/3962825 | title=1076741&nbsp;– Holly Lodge Centre | publisher=[[Charity Commission]] | work=Find charities | access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref>
|website      = {{URL|https://www.thehollylodgecentre.org.uk/}}
|remarks      =
}}
In 1735, a new lodge, Cooper's Lodge, was built on the site of Hill Farm.<ref name="FRP Guide96">{{cite book | title=''"Buildings" in'' Guide to Richmond Park | author=Michael Davison|publisher=[[Friends of Richmond Park]] | year=2011 | page=96|isbn=978-0-9567469-0-0}}</ref> It was renamed Lucas's Lodge in 1771 and Bog Lodge in the 1790s.<ref name = "WoodHL">{{Cite journal |last=Robert Wood|publisher= [[Richmond Local History Society]]|date=November 2023 |title=How Bog Lodge became Holly Lodge|journal=Richmond History |volume=44 |page=22|issn=0263-0958}}</ref> Bog Lodge was renamed Holly Lodge in 1993<ref name= "Pollard and Crompton 22">Pollard and Crompton, p. 22</ref> and now contains a visitors' centre (bookings only), the park's administrative headquarters and a base for the [[Metropolitan Police]]'s Royal Parks Operational Command Unit.

Holly Lodge also includes the '''Holly Lodge Centre''', an organisation which provides an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy and learn from a series of hands-on experiences, focusing particularly on the environment and in the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] history and heritage of Richmond Park. The centre, which is [[wheelchair-accessible]] throughout,<ref name="About"/> was opened in 1994.<ref name="Famous"/> It was founded by Mike Fitt,<ref name="Famous"/><ref name="Holly Lodge People"/> who was then The Royal Parks' Superintendent of Richmond Park and later became Deputy Chief Executive of London's Royal Parks. A registered charity,<ref name="Charity"/> the Holly Lodge Centre received the [[Queen's Award for Voluntary Service]] in 2005.

[[Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy|Princess Alexandra]] has been Holly Lodge Centre's Royal Patron since 2007.<ref name="Holly Lodge People">{{cite web | url=https://thehollylodgecentre.org.uk/about/| title=Who we are | publisher=Holly Lodge Centre | work=About us | access-date=18 October 2023}}</ref> In 2011 she opened the centre's Victorian-themed pharmacy, ''Mr Palmer's Chymist''. This includes the original interior, artefacts and dispensing records dating from 1865, from a [[Pharmacy|chemist's shop]] in [[Mortlake]], and is used for educational activities. The centre also includes a replica Victorian schoolroom, and a [[kitchen garden]] planted with varieties of vegetables used in Victorian times and [[herbs]] cultivated for their medicinal properties.<ref name="About">{{cite web | url=https://www.thehollylodgecentre.org.uk/about/ | title=Facilities | publisher=Holly Lodge Centre | access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref>

====Pembroke Lodge====
{{Main|Pembroke Lodge}}
[[Pembroke Lodge]] and some associated houses stand in their own garden within the park. In 1847 Pembroke Lodge became the home of the then [[Prime Minister]], [[Lord John Russell]],<!--overlink, seems reasonable given length of article--> and from 1876 to 1890 was the childhood home of his grandson, [[Bertrand Russell]].<ref name = "HirschlerBR">{{Cite journal |last=Rachel Hirschler|publisher= [[Richmond Local History Society]]|date=November 2023 |title=Bertrand Russell's childhood years at Pembroke Lodge |journal=Richmond History |volume=44 |page=6|issn=0263-0958}}</ref><ref name="Turcon2012">{{Cite journal |last=Sheila Turcon |date=Spring 2012 |title= Russell’s Homes: Pembroke Lodge |url=https://bertrandrussellsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/brsb_146_spring_2012_public.pdf|journal=The Bertrand Russell Society Bulletin |issue=146 |pages=3-8 |issn=1547-0334}}</ref> It is now a popular restaurant with views across the Thames Valley.

====Thatched House Lodge====
{{Main|Thatched House Lodge}}
Thatched House Lodge was the London home of United States General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] during the Second World War. Since 1963 it has been the residence of [[Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy]]. It was originally built as two houses in 1673 for two Richmond Park Keepers, as Aldridge Lodge, and was enlarged in 1727, possibly by [[William Kent]], as a home for [[Sir Robert Walpole]]. The two houses were joined and renamed Thatched House Lodge in 1771 by Sir John Soane. The gardens include an 18th-century two-room [[Thatching|thatched]] summer house which gave the main house its name.

====White Lodge====
{{Main|White Lodge}}
Built as a  [[Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom#Hunting lodge|hunting lodge]] for [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] by the architect [[Roger Morris (1695–1749)|Roger Morris]], White Lodge was completed in 1730. Its many famous residents have included members of the Royal Family. The future king [[Edward VIII]] was born at White Lodge in 1894;<ref>{{cite web |access-date = 27 December 2023|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3/pp533-546 |title=Parishes: Richmond (anciently Sheen) |editor=[[Henry Elliot Malden|H E Malden]] |publisher=[[Institute of Historical Research]] |year=1911 |work=A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3}}</ref> his brother [[George VI|Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future George VI)]] and [[Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother|the Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother)]] lived there in the 1920s. The [[Royal Ballet School]] (formerly Sadler's Wells Ballet) has been based since 1955<ref name= "Cloake 201"/> at [[White Lodge]] where younger ballet students continue to be trained.

====Bishop's Gate Lodge====
Bishop's Gate Lodge takes its name from a gamekeeper who was on the staff in the first half of the 19th century. A reference dated 1854 said that the keeper had had access to the lodge for the past fifty years. The lodge is not shown on the 1813 plan of the park, but appears on the plans of 1850, and its layout seems to have changed little from that time. It forms part of a view over the park, and beyond, that is much favoured by amateur painters.

====Other buildings====
Oak Lodge, near Sidmouth Wood, was built in about 1852 as a home for the park [[bailiff]], who was responsible for repair and maintenance in the park.<ref name="FRP Guide101">{{cite book | title=''"Buildings" in'' Guide to Richmond Park | publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] | author=Michael Davison | author-link=Buildings | year=2011 | page=101 | isbn=978-09567469-0-0}}</ref> It is used by The Royal Parks as its base for a similar function today.<ref name="FRP Guide101"/>

There are also gate lodges at Chohole Gate, Kingston Gate, Robin Hood Gate, Roehampton Gate<ref name="Roehampton Gate">{{cite web | url= https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/676527 | title=Richmond Park: Roehampton Gate and Lodge | publisher=[[Geograph]] | access-date=8 October 2012 | author=Nigel Cox}}</ref> and at Sheen Gate, which also has a [[bungalow]] (Sheen Gate Bungalow).<ref name ="Living in the Royal Parks">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/park-management/licences-and-permits/living-in-the-royal-parks | title=Living in the Parks | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | access-date=7 February 2015 | archive-date=7 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207051346/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/park-management/licences-and-permits/living-in-the-royal-parks }}</ref> Ladderstile Cottage, at Ladderstile Gate, was built in the 1780s.<ref name = "McDowall 73">McDowall, p. 73</ref>

====Former buildings====
[[File:Sir Richard Owen, K.C.B., F.R.S. and Sheen Lodge, Richmond Park.png|thumb|Sheen Cottage (above) and [[Sir Richard Owen]]]]
A map by John Eyre, "Plan of His Majesty's New Park", shows a [[summer house]] near Richmond Gate.<ref name= Eyre/>

Several buildings already existed within the park when it was created. One of these was a manor house at Petersham which was renamed Petersham Lodge. During the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth]] period it became accommodation for one of the park's deputy keepers, [[Lodowick Carlell]] (or Carlile), who was also a renowned playwright in his day,<ref>McDowall, p. 47</ref> and his wife, [[Joan Carlile]], one of the first women to practise painting professionally.<ref name="Toynbee and Isham">{{cite journal | jstor= 871403 | title=Joan Carlile (1606?–1679): An Identification | series=Documents concerning artistic associates of Santa Maria della Scala | author1=Margaret Toynbee | author2=[[Gyles Isham]] | journal= [[The Burlington Magazine]]|volume= 96| pages=275–274 |number= 618 |date= September 1954 }}</ref>

Elizabeth, [[Countess of Dysart]], and her husband [[Sir Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Baronet|Sir Lionel Tollemache]] took over Petersham Lodge when they became joint keepers of Richmond Park. After Tollemache's death the Lodge and its surrounding land were leased in 1686 to [[Lawrence Hyde, Earl of Rochester]], whose sister [[Anne Hyde|Anne]] was married to the new king, [[James II of England|James II]]. It became a private park and was subsequently landscaped. By 1692 Rochester had demolished the Lodge and replaced it with a splendid new mansion in his "New Park". In 1732, a new Petersham Lodge was built to replace it after a fire.<ref>Cloake, p. 28</ref> This Petersham Lodge was demolished in 1835.<ref name = "Cloake 190"/>

Professor [[Sir Richard Owen]], the first Director of the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]], lived at Sheen Cottage until his death in 1892.<ref name = "WoodSC"/><ref name="Victorian scientist">{{cite news | url=https://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/452137.remembering-victorian-scientist/| title=Remembering Victorian scientist | work=[[Richmond and Twickenham Times]] | author=James Adlam|date=22 January 2004 | access-date=31 July 2023}}</ref> The cottage was destroyed by enemy action in 1944.<ref name = "WoodSC"/><ref>McDowall, pp. 94–95</ref> The remains of the cottage can be seen in patches and irregularities in the wall 220 metres from Sheen Gate.<ref name = "WoodSC"/><ref name = "McDowall 73"/>

A [[bandstand]], similar to one in [[Kensington Gardens]], was erected near Richmond Gate in 1931. In 1975, after many years of disuse, it was moved to [[Regent's Park]].<ref name="Photographs86">{{cite book | title=Richmond in Old Photographs | publisher=Alan Sutton Publishing | editor=[[John Cloake]] |author=Compiled by members of the [[Richmond, London#Societies|Richmond Local History Society]] | page= 86 |year = 1990| isbn=978-0-86299-855-4}}</ref>

===Viewpoints===
[[File:St Paul's 20997r.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[protected view]] of [[St Paul's Cathedral|St Paul's]] from King Henry's Mound, before the [[Manhattan Loft Gardens]] development was built]]
There is a [[protected view]] of [[St Paul's Cathedral]] from King Henry's Mound, and also from Sawyer's Hill a view of central London in which the [[London Eye]], [[Tower 42]] (formerly the NatWest Tower) and [[30 St Mary Axe]] ("The Gherkin") appear to be close to one another.<ref name="Viewpoints">{{cite web | url=http://www.richmondparklondon.co.uk/walks/bestviewpoints.html | title=Best viewpoints in Richmond Park | publisher=www.richmondparklondon.co.uk | author= Steve Morgan|access-date=29 April 2025}}</ref>

====King Henry's Mound====
[[File:Panorama of King Henry's Mound.jpg|thumb|upright=2|Panorama of King Henry's Mound]]

King Henry's Mound, which may have been a [[Neolithic]] burial barrow,<ref name="Myths">{{cite journal | url=https://www.richmondhistory.org.uk/wordpress/two-incorrect-myths-concerning-richmond-park/|title='Sheene Chase' and 'King Henry VIII's Mound': two incorrect myths concerning Richmond Park | author=John Cloake | journal=[[Richmond, London#Societies|Richmond History: The Journal of Richmond History Society]] | year=2014 | volume=35|pages=38–40| author-link=John Cloake|access-date= 8 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Bridget Cherry |author2-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |author2=Nickolaus Pevsner |title=The Buildings of England – London 2 – South|date=1983|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|location=Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England| isbn= 978-0-14-071047-2|page=102|author1-link=Bridget Cherry }}</ref> was listed in 2020 by Historic England<ref name="King Henry's listing"/> along with another (unnamed) mound in the park which could be a [[long barrow]].<ref name="Mound listing"/><ref name="Ancient"/><ref name="Protected BBC"/> King Henry's Mound is located within the public gardens of Pembroke Lodge. At various times the mound's name has been connected with Henry VIII or with his father Henry VII.<ref name="Myths"/> However, there is no evidence to support the legend that Henry VIII stood on the mound to watch for a sign from St Paul's that [[Anne Boleyn]] had been executed at the [[Tower of London|Tower]] and that he was then free to marry [[Jane Seymour]].<ref name="Myths"/>

To the west of King Henry's Mound is a [[panorama]] of the [[Thames Valley]].<ref name="Viewpoints"/> [[St Paul's Cathedral]], over {{convert|10|mi|km}} to the east, can be seen through the naked eye or via a [[telescope]] that has been installed on the Mound. This vista, created soon after the cathedral was completed in 1710,<ref name="Batten">{{cite web | url=https://www.frp.org.uk/james-batten-st-pauls-view/ | title=James Batten & St Paul's view | publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] | work=News stories | access-date=19 July 2022 | author=Michael Davison| date=15 August 2013 }}</ref> is protected by a "dome and a half" width of sky on either side. In 2005 the then Mayor of London, [[Ken Livingstone]], sought to overturn this protection and reduce it to "half a dome". In 2009 his successor, [[Boris Johnson]], promised to reinstate the wider view, though also approving a development at [[London Victoria station|Victoria Station]] which, when completed, will obscure its right-hand corner.<ref name= "Pollard and Crompton 12">Pollard and Crompton, p. 12</ref> New gates − "The Way" − which can be viewed through the King Henry's Mound telescope, were installed in 2012 on the edge of Sidmouth Wood to mark the 300th anniversary of St Paul's.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/richmondnews/9748305.Tercentenary_gates_unveiled_at_Richmond_Park/ | title= Tercentenary gates unveiled at Richmond Park | work=[[Richmond and Twickenham Times]] | date=7 June 2012 | access-date=3 October 2012 | author=Christine Fleming}}</ref>

In December 2016, it was reported that [[Manhattan Loft Gardens]], a 42-storey 135m-tall apartment building under construction in [[Stratford, London|Stratford]], an area of London not covered by these planning restrictions, had "destroyed" the view from the park as it can now be seen behind the framed view of the cathedral's dome. The developers said that "Despite going through the correct planning processes in a public and transparent manner, at no point was the subject of visual impact to St Paul's ever raised" by the [[Olympic Delivery Authority]] or the [[Greater London Authority]] and that they were looking into the issues raised by the development.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/st-paul-s-admirers-take-dim-view-of-tower-hk8vr7ld2|title=St Paul's admirers take dim view of tower|author= Ben Webster|date=5 December 2016|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=5 December 2016}}</ref>

In November 2017, the Friends of Richmond Park reported that their campaigning on the issue had resulted in the Mayor of London, [[Sadiq Khan]], instructing London planners to consult the [[Greater London Authority]] on planning requests for high-rise buildings which, if built, could affect the visibility of St Paul's from established viewpoints. His instruction has now been incorporated into planning procedures across Greater London.<ref name="Planning">{{Cite web |url=https://www.frp.org.uk/st-pauls-view-safeguarded/|title=St Paul's view safeguarded |publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] |date=November 2017 |access-date=27 December 2023}}</ref>

===Plantings and memorials===
[[File:Isabella Plantation - geograph.org.uk - 587462.jpg|thumb|left|[[Azaleas]] flowering in [[Isabella Plantation]] in springtime]]
[[File:Prince Charles' Spinney, Richmond Park - geograph.org.uk - 349496.jpg|thumb|upright|"Handkerchief" tree (''[[Davidia involucrata]]'') in Prince Charles' Spinney]]

The park's open slopes and woods are based on lowland [[acid soils]]. The grassland is mostly managed by grazing. The park contains numerous woods and copses, some created with donations from members of the public.

Between 1819 and 1835, [[Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth|Lord Sidmouth]], Deputy Ranger, established several new plantations and enclosures, including Sidmouth Wood and the ornamental [[Isabella Plantation]], both of which are fenced to keep the deer out.<ref name= "Landscape History"/><ref name = "Cloake 196"/> After World War II the existing woodland at Isabella Plantation was transformed into a woodland garden, and is organically run, resulting in a rich flora and fauna. Opened to the public in 1953,<ref name= "Pollard and Crompton 32">Pollard and Crompton, p. 32</ref>  it is now a major visitor attraction in its own right. It is best known for the flowering, in April and May, of its [[evergreen]] [[azaleas]] and [[camellias]], which have been planted next to its ponds and streams. There are also many rare and unusual trees and shrubs.<ref name="TRP Isabella">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/richmond-park/isabella-plantation| title=Isabella Plantation | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | work=Richmond Park | access-date=14 February 2024}}</ref>

The Jubilee Plantation was created in 1887 to commemorate the [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rabbitts|2014|p=120}}</ref> Prince Charles' Spinney was planted out in 1951<ref>McDowall, p. 131</ref> with trees protected from the deer by fences, to preserve a natural habitat. The bluebell glade is managed to encourage native British bluebells. Teck Plantation, established in 1905,<ref name= "McDowall 122">McDowall, p. 122</ref> commemorates the Duke and Duchess of Teck, who lived at White Lodge. Their daughter Mary married [[George V]].<ref name="McDowall 70"/> Tercentenary Plantation, in 1937,<ref name= "McDowall 122"/> marked the 300th anniversary of the enclosure of the park. Victory Plantation was established in 1946<ref name= "McDowall 122"/> to mark the end of the Second World War. Queen Mother's Copse, a small triangular enclosure on the woodland hill halfway between Robin Hood Gate and Ham Gate, was established in 1980<ref name= "McDowall 122"/> to commemorate the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

The park lost over 1000 mature trees during the [[Great Storm of 1987]] and the [[Burns' Day Storm]] of 1990. The subsequent replanting included a new plantation, Two Storms Wood, a short distance into the park from Sheen Gate. Some extremely old trees can also be seen inside this enclosure.<ref name="Listed"/>

Bone Copse, which was named in 2005, was started by the Bone family in 1988 by purchasing and planting a tree from the park authorities in memory of Bessie Bone who died in that year. Trees have been added annually, and in 1994 her husband Frederick Bone also died. The annual planting has been continued by their children.

The park's Platinum Jubilee Woodland, marking the [[Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II]], was opened by Sir David Attenborough in 2023.<ref name="Jubilee woodland">{{Cite web |date=20 March 2023 |title=Sir David Attenborough plants a tree for a new woodland in Richmond Park to honour the Late Queen Elizabeth II |url=https://www.frp.org.uk/sir-david-attenborough-plants-a-tree-for-a-new-woodland-in-richmond-park-to-honour-the-late-queen-elizabeth-ii/ |access-date=2 April 2023 |website=Friends of Richmond Park}}</ref>

====James Thomson and Poet's Corner====
[[File:Ian Dury-Memorial Bench.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ian Dury]] [[memorial bench]]]]
Poet's Corner, an area at the north end of Pembroke Lodge Gardens, commemorates the poet  [[James Thomson (poet, born 1700)|James Thomson]] (1700–1748), who was living in Richmond at the time of his death. A curved metal bench inscribed with lines by Thomson and known as ''Poet's Seat'' is located there. Sculpted by Richard Farrington, it was based on an idea by Jane Fowles.<ref name="Farrington">{{cite web | url=http://www.richardfarrington.com/seats_richmond.htm | title=Richmond&nbsp;– Poet's Seat | publisher=Richard Farrington: Sculptor | access-date=28 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042022/http://www.richardfarrington.com/seats_richmond.htm | archive-date=4 March 2016 | df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Monuments">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/press-and-media/factsheets-on-the-royal-parks/monuments/monuments-in-richmond-park | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511191959/http://www.royalparks.org.uk/press/factsheets-on-the-royal-parks/monuments/monuments-in-richmond-park |archive-date=11 May 2012 | title=Monuments in Richmond Park | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | access-date=7 February 2015}}</ref>

A wooden memorial plaque with an [[ode]] to Thomson by the writer and historian [[John Heneage Jesse]] was formerly located near Pembroke Lodge stables, where it was installed in 1851. The plaque was replaced by the [[Selborne Society]] in 1895.<ref name="Monuments"/>

In 2014 Poet's Corner was re-sited to the other side of the main path and the ode, on a re-gilded board, was installed in a completely new oak frame. The new Poet's Corner, funded by the Friends of Richmond Park and the Visitor Centre at Pembroke Lodge, and by a donation in memory of Wendy Vachell, also includes three curved benches made from reclaimed [[teak]]. The benches are inscribed with a couplet by the Welsh poet [[W. H. Davies]], "A poor life this, if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare".<ref name="New Poet's Corner">{{cite journal | title=New Poet's Corner | journal=Friends of Richmond Park Newsletter |date=Autumn 2014 | page=6}}</ref>

Benches, also sculpted by Richard Farrrington,<ref name="Farrington"/> at King Henry's Mound are inscribed with a few lines from  [[The Seasons (Thomson)|Thomson's poem "The Seasons"]].<ref name="Monuments"/>

Poet's Corner is linked to King Henry's Mound by the John Beer Laburnum Arch, named after one of Pembroke Lodge Gardens' former charge-hands. The arch has a display of yellow [[laburnum]] flowers in May.<ref name="FRP Guide73">{{cite book | title=''"Gardens" in'' Guide to Richmond Park | author=Jo Scrivener|publisher=[[Friends of Richmond Park]] | year=2011 | page=73|isbn=978-0-9567469-0-0}}</ref>

====Ian Dury====

In 2002 a "musical bench", designed by Mil Stricevic,<ref name="Stricevic">{{cite web | website= Milish|title=Reasons to be Cheerful 2000| url=https://www.milish.studio/#/reasons-to-be-cheerful/| access-date=14 February 2024 }}</ref> was placed in a favoured viewing spot of rock singer and lyricist [[Ian Dury]] (1942–2000) near Poet's Corner. On the back of the bench are the words "[[Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3|Reasons to be cheerful]]", the title of one of Dury's songs.<ref name="Monuments"/> The [[solar-power]]ed seat was intended to allow visitors to plug in and listen to eight of his songs as well as an interview, but was subjected to repeated [[vandalism]].<ref name="Mirror">{{cite news | url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/the-blockheads-star-ian-durys-musical-203992 | title=The Blockheads star Ian Dury's musical memorial repeatedly vandalised in London's Richmond Park | work=[[Daily Mirror]] | location= London|date=26 January 2012 | access-date=4 July 2024}}</ref> In 2015 the bench was refurbished and the [[MP3 players]] and solar panels were replaced with metal plates on which a [[QR code]] can be scanned via a [[smartphone]]. Visitors can access nine [[Ian Dury and the Blockheads]] songs and hear Dury's ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' interview with [[Sue Lawley]], first broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] on 15 December 1996.<ref name="Dury bench">{{Cite web |url=https://iandury.co.uk/memorial-bench/ |title=The 'Reasons to Be Cheerful' Sonic Vista Bench |website= [[Ian Dury]]|access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>