Editing Richmond Park (section)

==Organisation==

===Governance===
[[File:Parking sign in Richmond Park, UK - 3.jpg|thumb|Sign in Richmond Park citing the authority of the [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)|Secretary of State]]]]
The [[Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport]] manages Richmond Park and the other [[Royal Parks of London]] under powers set out in the [[Crown Lands Act 1851]], which transferred management of the parks from the monarch to the government. Day-to-day management of the Royal Parks has been delegated to [[The Royal Parks]], an executive agency of the [[Department for Culture, Media and Sport]] (DCMS). The Royal Parks' Board sets the strategic direction for the agency. Appointments to the Board are made by the [[Mayor of London]].<ref name="Royal Parks Board">{{cite web | url=https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/londonassembly/meetings/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=252| title=Royal Parks Board | publisher=[[Greater London Authority]] | access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>

[[#Friends of Richmond Park|The Friends of Richmond Park]] and the Friends of [[Bushy Park]] co-chair the Richmond and Bushy Parks Forum, comprising 38 local groups of local stakeholder organisations.<ref name="Forum">{{cite web | url=http://www.frp.org.uk/pdf/news/171_Richmond_and_Bushy_Parks_Forum_Letter_re_TRP_Board_composition_final_191011.pdf | title=Letter to Sir Edward Lister, Deputy Mayor of London, re Royal Parks Board | publisher=Richmond and Bushy Parks Forum | date=19 October 2011 | access-date=22 October 2012 | author1=Ron Crompton | author2=Pieter Morpurgo | name-list-style=amp | archive-date=2 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202175243/http://www.frp.org.uk/pdf/news/171_Richmond_and_Bushy_Parks_Forum_Letter_re_TRP_Board_composition_final_191011.pdf }}</ref> The forum was formed in September 2010 to consider proposals to bring Richmond Park and Bushy Park&nbsp;– and London's other royal parks&nbsp;– under the control of the Mayor of London through a new Royal Parks Board<ref name="Forum"/><ref name="Transfer to Mayor">{{cite web | url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/responsibility-for-londons-royal-parks-to-pass-to-londons-mayor| title=Responsibility for London's Royal Parks to pass to London's Mayor | publisher=[[Department for Culture, Media and Sport]] and [[John Penrose]] MP| date= 8 February 2011|access-date=12 May 2023}}</ref> and to make a joint response. Although welcoming the principles of the new governance arrangements, the forum (in 2011) and the Friends of Richmond Park (in 2012) expressed concerns about the composition of the new board.<ref name="Forum"/><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.frp.org.uk/new-board-for-royal-parks/ | title=New Board for Royal Parks | publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] | date= October 2011 | access-date=12 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="New board">{{cite web | url= https://www.frp.org.uk/?s=Royal+Parks+board+appointed | title=Royal Parks Board appointed | publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] | date=12 February 2012 | access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>

===Access===
Richmond Park is the most visited royal park outside central London, with 4.4 million visits in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/422397/number-of-visitors-in-royal-parks-uk/ |title=Number of visitors to Royal Parks in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014, by park (in millions) |website=Statista |access-date=4 September 2018}}</ref> The park is enclosed by a high wall with several gates. The gates either allow pedestrian and bicycle access only, or allow bicycle, pedestrian and other vehicle access. The gates for motor vehicle access are open only during daylight hours; the speed limit is {{cvt|20|mph}}. The gates for pedestrians and cyclists are open 24 hours a day except during the deer culls in February and November, when the pedestrian gates are closed between 8:00 pm and 7:30 am.<ref name="Opening times">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/visitor-information/opening-times-and-getting-here | title=Opening times and getting here | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | work=Visitor information | access-date=1 February 2015}}</ref> However, since 2020, there has been restricted through traffic in Richmond Park, for example restricted traffic between Richmond Gate and Roehampton Gate at weekends.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Royal Parks' traffic reduction measures to remain in place for another year|url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/the-royal-parks-traffic-reduction-measures-to-remain-in-place-for-another-year|access-date=2021-07-07|website=The Royal Parks|date=9 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Apart from taxis, no [[commercial vehicles]] are allowed unless they are being used to transact business with residents of the park.<ref name="opsi.gov.uk">{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/1639/contents/made |title=The Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997 |access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref>

From March to November, a free bus service, calling near [[Mortlake railway station]], runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, stopping at the main car parks and the gate at Isabella Plantation nearest Peg's Pond.<ref name="Bus">{{cite web | url= https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/richmond-park/free-minibus-service-richmond-park| title=Free minibus service in Richmond Park | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | work= Richmond Park | date = March 2025|access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="Minibus">{{Cite web |date=19 April 2024 |title=Free minibus service to Richmond Park |url=https://www.richmond.gov.uk/news/news_april_2024/free_minibus_service_to_richmond_park |access-date=17 August 2024 |website=[[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]]}}</ref>

[[File:Dual use path, Richmond Park - geograph.org.uk - 1453370.jpg|thumb|The shared use cycle/footpath, between Roehampton Gate and Sheen Gate, crosses [[Beverley Brook]] amid [[willows]].]]
The gates open to motor traffic are: Sheen Gate, Richmond Gate, Ham Gate, Kingston Gate, Roehampton Gate and (for access to [[Richmond Park Golf Course]] only) Chohole Gate.<ref name="Map">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/41642/richmondpark_english_map.pdf | title=Richmond Park map | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | access-date=1 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202154201/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/41642/richmondpark_english_map.pdf | archive-date=2 February 2015 | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="Management Plan 10">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/41767/richmond-park-management-plan.pdf | title=Getting to the Park | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | work=Richmond Park Management Plan | date=January 2008 | access-date=2 February 2015 | page=10 | 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> 
The park has designated [[Rights of way in England and Wales|bridleway]]s and [[cycle path]]s. These are shown on maps and noticeboards displayed near the main entrances, along with other regulations that govern use of the park.<ref name="Map"/> The bridleways are special in that they are for horses (and their riders) only and, unlike normal bridleways, are not open to cyclists,.

The [[Beverley Brook Walk]] runs through the park between Roehampton Gate and Robin Hood Gate.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merton.gov.uk/assets/Documents/beverly-brook-walk.pdf|title=Beverley Brook Walk|publisher=[[London Borough of Merton]]|date=12 Sep 2007}}</ref> The [[Capital Ring]] walking route passes through the park from Robin Hood Gate to Petersham Gate.

Cycling is allowed only on main roads, on [[National Cycle Route 4]] through the centre of the park and on the Tamsin Trail (the shared-use pedestrian–cycle path that runs close to the park's perimeter).<ref name="Cycling">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/visitor-information/park-regulations-and-policies/cycling-in-the-royal-parks | title=Cycling in the Royal Parks | publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | work=Managing the parks | access-date=27 July 2019 | archive-date=20 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920083841/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/visitor-information/park-regulations-and-policies/cycling-in-the-royal-parks }}</ref><ref name="Tamsin Trail">{{cite web | url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/tamsin-trail-at-richmond-park/ | title=Tamsin Trail at Richmond Park | publisher=[[Sustrans]] | access-date=4 August 2019}}</ref>
National Cycle Route 4 crosses the park between Ham Gate in the west and Roehampton Gate in the east, skirting Pen Ponds and White Lodge. It interlinks with the [[Thames Path|Thames Cycle Route]] and forms part of the [[List of cycle routes in London|London Cycle Network]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-4/ |title=Sustrans NCN Route 4|access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> The speed limit on this route through the centre of the park, where it is off the main road, is {{cvt|10|mph}}.<ref name="Management Plan 16-29"/>

As the park is a national nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest, all dog owners are required to keep their dogs under control while in the park. This includes not allowing their dog to disturb other park users or disrupt wildlife. In 2009, after some incidents leading to the death of wildfowl, the park's dogs-on-leads policy was extended. Park users are said to believe that the deer are feeling increasingly threatened by the growing number of dogs using the park<ref>{{Cite web |last=France |first=Anthony |date=2024-12-04 |title=Deer killed by out-of-control dog in Richmond Park |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/deer-killed-dog-richmond-park-police-london-b1197968.html |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref> and The Royal Parks advises against walking dogs in the park during the deer's birthing season.<ref name="Chase">{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22752091 | title=Richmond Park dogwalkers chased by protective deer | work=[[BBC News]] | date=3 June 2013 | access-date=8 June 2013}}</ref>

===Law enforcement===
A [[robbery|mugging]] at gunpoint in 1854 reputedly led to the establishment of a park police force.<ref>Baxter Brown, p. 115</ref> Until 2005 the park was policed by the separate [[Royal Parks Constabulary]], but that was subsumed into the [[Royal Parks Operational Command Unit]] of the [[Metropolitan Police]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.royalparks.org.uk/park-management/policing-in-the-royal-parks|title= Policing in the Royal Parks|publisher= [[The Royal Parks]]|access-date= 6 February 2015|archive-date= 15 March 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150315072434/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/park-management/policing-in-the-royal-parks}}</ref> The [[mounted police]] have been replaced by a patrol team in a [[four-wheel drive]] vehicle. In 2015 the Friends of Richmond Park expressed concern about plans to cut the numbers of police in the park to half their level ten years previously, despite an increase in visitor numbers and in incidents of crime.<ref name="Bad news">{{cite web | url=https://www.frp.org.uk/bad-news-on-policing/ | title=Bad news on policing | publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] | work=News | date=8 January 2015 | access-date=6 February 2025}}</ref>

In July 2012 it was reported that police had been given the power to issue £50 on-the-spot fines for littering, cycling outside designated areas and dog fouling offences.<ref>{{cite news |title=Park to bring in bad behaviour penalties |newspaper=[[Richmond and Twickenham Times]] |page=7 |date=13 July 2012}}</ref> In August 2012 a dog owner was ordered to pay £315 after allowing five dogs to chase ducks in the park.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/9935558.fine-for-man-who-allowed-dogs-to-chase-ducks-in-richmond-park/| title= Fine for man who allowed dogs to chase ducks in Richmond Park|author=Amy Dyduch|work= [[Richmond and Twickenham Times]]|date=19 September 2012|access-date= 2 June 2023}}</ref> Since 2013 commercial dog-walkers have been required to apply for licences to walk dogs in the park, and are allowed to walk only four dogs at a time.<ref name="Dog licence">{{cite web| url= https://www.royalparks.org.uk/park-management/licences-and-permits/professional-dog-walking-licences/about-the-professional-dog-walking-licence| title= About the Professional Dog Walking Licence| publisher= [[The Royal Parks]]| access-date= 6 February 2015| archive-date= 7 February 2015| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150207003636/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/park-management/licences-and-permits/professional-dog-walking-licences/about-the-professional-dog-walking-licence}}</ref> In 2013 a cyclist was successfully prosecuted for speeding at 37&nbsp;mph in the park.<ref name="Cycling fine">{{cite news|url=http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/archive/2013/09/18/10682089.Teen_fined_for_cycling_at_37mph_in_Richmond_Park/|title=Speeding fine for teenager doing 37mph on bicycle|author=Clare Buchanan|work=[[Richmond and Twickenham Times]]|date=18 September 2013|access-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103810/http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/archive/2013/09/18/10682089.Teen_fined_for_cycling_at_37mph_in_Richmond_Park/|archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> In 2015 a [[cycling club]] member was fined for speeding at 41&nbsp;mph and faced disciplinary action from his cycling club, which uses the park for training.<ref name="Pettitt">{{cite news | url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/speeding-cyclist-who-clocked-40mph-in-richmond-park-faces-expulsion-from-top-london-cycling-club-10099781.html?origin=internalSearch | title=Speeding cyclist who reached 40mph in Richmond Park faces expulsion from top club | work=[[Evening Standard]] | date=12 March 2015 | access-date=12 March 2015 |author1=Josh Pettitt |author2=Matt Watts |name-list-style=amp }}</ref> In 2014 and 2015 two men were prosecuted for picking mushrooms in the park.<ref name="Mushrooms–2015">{{cite news | url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11749836.Mushroom_tamperer_gets_conditional_discharge_after_Richmond_Park_picking/?ref=mr | title=Mushroom tamperer gets conditional discharge after Richmond Park picking | work=Richmond Guardian |date=27 January 2015 | access-date=13 February 2015 | author=Laura Proto}}</ref><ref name="Mushrooms - 2014">{{cite news | url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/11653028.Mushroom_thief_fined_after_picking_in_Richmond_Park/?ref=mr | title=Mushroom thief fined after picking in Richmond Park | work=Richmond Guardian | date=9 December 2014 | access-date=13 February 2015 | author=Laura Proto}}</ref>

[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MP [[Danny Kruger]] was fined after his puppy, during a family walk, caused a [[stampede]] when it chased a 200-strong herd of deer in the park in March 2021.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://uk.yahoo.com/news/tory-mp-fined-puppy-caused-145417217.html|title=Tory MP fined after puppy caused stampede of deer in London park|work=[[Yahoo News]]|author=Henry Vaughan|date=7 June 2021|access-date=28 June 2021}}</ref> Kruger apologised and said he would be more careful in future.<ref>{{Cite news|date=7 June 2021|title=Danny Kruger MP fined over puppy's Richmond Park deer stampede|language=en-GB|work=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-57327657|access-date=8 June 2021|archive-date=7 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607175722/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-57327657|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Sport and recreation===
''Cycling'': Cycles are available for hire near Roehampton Gate and, at peak times, near Pembroke Lodge.<ref name="Sport"/> The Tamsin Trail (shared between pedestrians and cyclists) provides a circuit of the park and is almost entirely car-free.<ref name="Tamsin Trail"/>

''Fishing'' is allowed, by [[Fishing license|paid permit]], on Pen Ponds from mid-June to mid-March.<ref name="Sport"/>

''Golf'' is played at [[Richmond Park Golf Course]], a public facility opened in 1923 by the Prince of Wales (later King [[Edward VIII]]).<ref name="MBB 150">{{cite book | title=Richmond Park: The History of a Royal Deer Park | author=Michael Baxter Brown | year=1985 | page=150|location= London|publisher= R. Hale| ISBN= 0709021631}}</ref>  It has two 18-hole golf courses and practice facilities and is accessed from Chohole Gate.

''Horse riding'': Horses from local stables are ridden in the park.<ref name="Sport">{{cite web | url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/richmond-park/sport-leisure | title=Sports and leisure in Richmond Park| publisher=[[The Royal Parks]] | access-date=14 February 2024}}</ref>

''Rugby'': A section of the grassland to the north of the Roehampton Gate is maintained and laid out during the winter months for rugby; there are three pitches. At weekends, this area is hired extensively to the [[rugby union]] club [[Rosslyn Park F.C.]]. Visiting teams are transferred by bus to and from the park pitches from the club's nearby clubhouse and changing rooms.<ref name="Sport"/>

''Running'': The Tamsin Trail is a {{convert|7.2|mi|km|1|abbr=out}} trail around the park which is popular with runners. Members of Barnes Runners complete at least one circumnavigation of it on the first and third Sunday of every month. Richmond Park [[Parkrun]], a five-kilometre organised run, takes place every Saturday.<ref name="parkrun">{{cite web | url=https://www.parkrun.org.uk/richmond/| title=Richmond parkrun | publisher=parkrun UK | access-date=15 July 2023}}</ref>

There is a children's playground at Petersham Gate.<ref name="Sport"/>

===Friends of Richmond Park===

{{Infobox organization
|name         = Friends of Richmond Park
|image        = Friends of Richmond Park logo.jpg
|image_border =
|size         =  160px
|caption      =
|abbreviation = FRP
|formation    = 1961
|status       = [[registered charity]]
|registration_id  =  1133201
|purpose      = To conserve and protect Richmond Park and its peace and natural beauty for the benefit of the public and future generations, and to advance public education about the park
|headquarters = [[Richmond, London]]
|location     = England, [[United Kingdom]]
|region_served =
|membership   = 3,700
|language     =
|leader_title = Key people
|leader_name  = Roger Hillyer, Chairman
|main_organ   = ''Park Life'' (printed magazine, published twice a year)
|parent_organization =
|affiliations =
|num_staff    = None
|num_volunteers = 300
|budget       =
|website      = {{URL|https://www.frp.org.uk/}}
|remarks      =
}}

'''The Friends of Richmond Park''' (FRP) was founded in 1961 to protect the park. In 1960 the [[speed limit]] in the park had been raised from 20 to 30 miles an hour and there were concerns that the roads in the park would be assigned to the main highway system as had recently happened in parts of [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]].<ref name= "Pollard and Crompton 2-3">Pollard and Crompton, pp. 2–3</ref> In 1969, plans by the then [[Greater London Council]] to assign the park's roads to the national highway were revealed by the Friends and subsequently withdrawn.<ref name= "Pollard and Crompton 9">Pollard and Crompton, p. 9</ref> The speed limit was reduced to 20 miles an hour in 2004.<ref name= "Pollard and Crompton 33">Pollard and Crompton, p. 33</ref>

In 2011, the Friends successfully campaigned for the withdrawal of plans for open-air screenings of films in the park.<ref name="Auto6L-10">{{cite news|url= https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/9190284.richmond-park-cinema-plans-withdrawn/|title= Richmond Park cinema plans withdrawn|work= Richmond Guardian|author=Paul Teed|date= 11 August 2011|access-date=8 December 2022}}</ref><ref name="Auto6L-11">{{cite web|url=https://www.frp.org.uk/friends-oppose-park-screenings/|title=Friends oppose Park screenings |publisher= [[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] website|date= 19 July 2011|access-date= 3 October 2020}}</ref> In 2012, the Friends contributed towards the cost of a new Jubilee Pond, and launched a public appeal for a Ponds and Streams Conservation Programme in which the Friends, the Richmond Park Wildlife Group and [[Healthy Planet]] have been working with staff from The Royal Parks to restore some of the streams and ponds in the park.<ref name="Auto6L-13">{{cite web |url= http://www.stmgrts.org.uk/archives/2012/05/new_jubilee_pond_in_richmond_park_to_be_created.html|title=New Jubilee Pond in Richmond Park to be Created|publisher=[[St Margarets, London|St Margarets]] Community website|date=11 May 2012|access-date=5 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="Auto6L-14">{{cite news| url= https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/9699149.jubilee-pond-to-open-in-richmond-park/ |title=Jubilee pond to open in Richmond Park|author= Christine Fleming|work=Richmond Guardian|date= 10 May 2012|access-date= 15 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="More Ponds">{{cite web | url=https://www.frp.org.uk/work-starts-on-more-ponds/ | title=Work starts on more ponds | publisher=[[#Friends of Richmond Park|Friends of Richmond Park]] | date=27 September 2012 | access-date=6 February 2025}}</ref>

The Friends run a visitor centre near Pembroke Lodge, organise a programme of walks and education activities for young people, and produce a quarterly newsletter. The Friends have published two books, ''A Guide to Richmond Park'' and ''Family Trails in Richmond Park''; profits from the books' sales contribute towards the Friends' conservation work.<ref name="Auto6L-8">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/article/10356|title=New guide book to Richmond Park|publisher=[[London Borough of Wandsworth]]|date=28 March 2011|access-date=15 July 2023|archive-date=15 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715215320/https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/article/10356}}</ref>

The Friends of Richmond Park has been a charitable organisation since 2009.<ref name="50 years">{{cite news |url= http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/8927743.Friends_group_to_mark_50_years/|title=Friends of Richmond Park to mark 50 years of protecting the green space |author=Christine Fleming |work=Wandsworth Guardian |date=25 March 2011|access-date=2 April 2012}}</ref> It has 3,700 members, is run by approximately 300 volunteers<ref name="Achievements">{{Cite web |title=What we did in 2022: Achievements and performance during the year |url=https://www.frp.org.uk/our-achievements/ |access-date=10 September 2023 |website=Friends of Richmond Park}}</ref> and has no staff.<ref name= "50 years"/>  Broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, former Richmond Park MP Baroness [[Susan Kramer]], broadcaster [[Clare Balding]] and radio and TV presenter and former professional tennis player [[Annabel Croft]] are patrons of FRP.<ref name="Croft">{{Cite news |date=28 February 2025 |title=Tennis star and television presenter Annabel Croft joins Friends of Richmond Park as patron |url=https://twickenhamtribune.com/PDF/Twickenham%20Tribune%200434.pdf |access-date=1 March 2025 |work=Twickenham and Richmond Tribune |pages=12}}</ref><ref name="AutoQO-4">{{cite news |url= http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/8949352.Sir_David_steps_up_at_park_party/|title= Sir David Attenborough steps up as Friends of Richmond Park marks golden anniversary|author= Christine Fleming|work= [[Richmond and Twickenham Times]]|date=3 April 2011|access-date= 8 September 2014}}</ref> The chairman, since April 2021, is Roger Hillyer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contact us |url=https://www.frp.org.uk/contact-3/ |access-date=8 December 2022 |website=Friends of Richmond Park}}</ref>