The area around Richmond is about as green as London gets, with a river thrown in. A park is never more than a short stroll away. The Thames is a few minutes further. The high street runs to chains on the main drag and independents in the alleys. Royalty laid most of it out for hunting, and the residents now use it for dogs.
The typical home has about 31 public green spaces within a kilometre, and the nearest is on average about 120 metres from the front door. Richmond Green is the middle of town, the Old Deer Park runs from it along the river towards Kew, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, a World Heritage Site, take up the far end. Kew Green and Richmond Riverside fill the gaps. Elizabeth I hunted stags across the Old Deer Park, and the main threat to anyone crossing it now is a stray cricket ball.
Water is close too. The nearest river, pond or other open water is on average about 470 metres away, and there are about 56 such spots within a kilometre of the typical home. The Thames curves round both Richmond and Kew, and at the lock and weir a footbridge takes walkers across to the other bank.
The National Cycle Network is further off, about 2.6 kilometres from the average home, and no postcode in the area counts as close to it. There is no ancient woodland in the area either. Cyclists here ride the towpath and the park roads and leave the signed national routes to somebody else.
On the valuation list, the area holds 1,248 rateable premises, including 481 offices, 370 shops, 55 restaurants and 31 pubs. These are premises on the list, which is not quite the same as businesses trading today. George Street carries the big chains, with independents lining the narrow alleys that run off it towards Richmond Green, and more shops and cafes along Kew Road towards the Botanic Gardens and on Sheen Road. Offices outnumber shops, a reminder that this is a place where a lot of people come to work as well as to browse.
Of the 231 food premises with a hygiene rating, about 75% hold the top score and about 2% sit at the low end. For a town with this many places to eat, that is a tidy kitchen record.
Fine-particle air pollution across Richmond upon Thames averaged about 8.3 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024, a council-wide measure for the whole borough.
The feel of the place comes from the Georgian terraces round Richmond Green, the river walks and the steady flow of visitors to Kew. North Sheen is more ordinary and residential, with a large Sainsbury's near its station. Kew is greener and quieter, built round its green and the Botanic Gardens. Private outdoor space is generous for inner London, at about 48,000 square metres of garden for every 1,000 residents. People with that much lawn of their own still queue for the park on a sunny Saturday.
No area of outstanding natural beauty, site of special scientific interest or ancient woodland overlaps this area's postcodes. The designated wildlife sits in Richmond Park over the hill, where the deer have the protection and the area below manages to be beautiful without the paperwork.
The surroundings are one of Richmond's real strengths. Few corners of London put this much park, river and garden within a short walk of so many front doors.