Editing Richmond Park (section)

===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>