finest village in the British dominions, was anciently called Sheen, which, in the Saxon Tongue, signifies resplendent. From the singular beauty of its situation, it has been termed the Frescati of England. Here stood a royal palace, in which Edward I. and II. resided, and in which Edward III. died of grief, for the loss of his heroic son the Black Prince. Here also died Anne, Queen of Richard II, who first taught the English ladies the use of the side saddle; for, before her time, they rode astride. Richard was so affected at her death, that he deserted and defaced the fine palace; but it was repaired by Henry V. who founded three religious houses near it. In 1497, it was destroyed by fire; but Henry VII. rebuilt it, and commanded that the village should be called Richmond; he having borne the title of Earl of Richmond before he obtained the crown; and here he died. Queen Elizabeth was a prisoner in this palace for a short time, during the reign of her sister. When she became Queen, it was one of her favourite places of residence; and here she closed her illustrious career. It was afterward the residence of Henry Prince of Wales; and Bp. Duppa is said to have educated Charles II. here. It is not now easy to ascertain when this royal palace absolutely ceased to be such. Some parts of it appear to have been repaired by James II. whose son, the Pretender, it is said, was nursed here. [See Bp. Burnet, Vol. I. p. 753.] It is not totally demolished. The houses now let on lease to William Robertson and Matthew Skinner, Esquires, as well as that in the occupa tion of Mr. Dundas, which adjoins the gateway, are parts of the old palace, and are described in the survey taken by the order of Parliament in 1649; and, in Mr. Skinner's garden, still exists the old yew-tree, mentioned in that survey. [See Lysons, Vol. I. p. 441.] On the site of this palace also is Cholmondeley House, built by George third Earl of Cholmondeley, who adorned the noble gallery with his fine collection of pictures. It is now the property of the Duke of Queensbury, who transferred hither the pictures and furniture from his seat at Ambresbury. The tapestry, which hung behind the Earl of Clarendon in the Court of Chancery, now decorates the hall of this house. A large house, the property of Mrs. Sarah Way, and the residence of herself and her sister, the Countess Dowager of Northampton, is also on the site of this palace, is the elegant villa of Whitshed Keene, Esq. built by the late Sir Charles Asgill, Bart. from a design of Sir Robert Taylor's. There was formerly a park adjoining Richmond Green, called the Old or Little Park, to distinguish it from the extensive one made by Charles I. and called the New Park. In this Old Park was a lodge, the lease of which was granted, in 1707, for 99 years, to James Duke of Ormond, who rebuilt the house, and resided there till his impeachment in 1715, when he retired to Paris. Not far from the site of the lodge, stands the observatory, built by Sir William Chambers, in 1769. Among a fine set of instruments, are to be noticed a mural arch of 140 degrees, and eight feet radius; a zenith sector of 12 feet; a transit instrument of 8 feet; and a 10 feet reflector by Herschel. On the top of the building is a moveable dome, which contains an equatorial instrument. The observatory contains also a collection of subjects in natural history, well preserved; an excellent apparatus for philosophical experiments, some models, and a collection of ores from his Majesty's mines in the forest of Hartz in Germany. A part of Old Park is now a dairy and grazing farm in his Majesty's own hands. The remainder constitutes the royal gardens, which were altered to their present form by the exquisite taste of Browne. Instead of the trim formality of the ancient style, we now see irregular groups of trees adorning beautiful swelling lawns, interspersed with shrubberies, broken clumps, and solemn woods; through the recesses of which are walks, that lead to various parts of these delightful gardens. The banks along the margin of the Thames are judiciously varied, forming a noble terrace, which extends the whole length of the gardens; in the S. E. quarter of which, a road leads to a sequestered spot, in which is a cottage. that exhibits the most elegant simplicity. Here is a collection of curious foreign and domestic beasts, as well as of rare and exotic birds. Being a favourite retreat of her Majesty's, this cottage is kept in great neatness. The gardens are open to the public every Sunday, from Midsummer till toward the end of Autumn. At the foot of Richmond Hill, on the Thames, is the villa of the Duke of Buccleugh. From the lawn there is a subterraneous communication with the pleasure grounas on the opposite side of the road, which extends almost to the summit of the hill. Near this is the charming residence of Lady Diana Beauclerk, who has herself decorated one of the rooms with lilacs and other flowers, in the same manner as at her former residence at Twickenham. Here likewise are the villas of the Duke of Clarence, the Earl of Leicester, Sir Lionel Darell, Bart. &c. On Richmond Green is a house belonging to Viscount Fitzwilliam, whose maternal grandfather, Sir Matthew Decker, Bart. an eminent Dutch merchant, built a room here for the reception of George I. In this house is an ancient painting of Richmond Palace by Vinkeboom; and there is another, said to be the work of one of Rubens' scholars, and supposed to represent the Lodge in the Old Park, before it was pulled down by the Duke of Ormond. The Green is surrounded by lofty elms, and at one corner of it is a theatre, in which, during the summer season, dramatic entertainments are performed. Mrs. Jordan often performs here, and other actors of celebrity. The town runs up the hill, above a mile, from East Sheen to the New Park, with the Royal Gardens sloping all the way to the Thames. Here are four alms-houses; one of them built by Bishop Duppa, in the reign of Charles II. for ten poor widows, pursuant to a vow he made during that Prince's exile. An elegant stone bridge, of five semi-circular arches, from a design by Paine, was erected here in 1777. The summit of Richmond Hill commands a luxuriant prospect, which Thomson, who resided in this beautiful place, has thus celebrated in his Seasons : Say, shall we ascend Thy hill, delightful Sheen? Here let us sweep Now to the sister-hills that skirt her plain, Highgate and Hampstead. + Petersham Lodge. + Ham House. |