Charles I's deer park is now London's largest Royal Park
Charles I enclosed Richmond Park for deer hunting in the 17th century. Today its 856 hectares make it the biggest of London's Royal Parks, a national nature reserve where ancient trees rotting in place shelter stag beetles, and where 4.4 million visits were recorded in 2014 alone.
Historic England traces the deer park's origins to before the 15th century, noting it has been a public open space since the mid-1800s. Among its buildings, the Grade I-listed White Lodge, once a royal residence, now houses the Royal Ballet School, and Pembroke Lodge was home to Prime Minister Lord John Russell and later his grandson, philosopher Bertrand Russell. In 2020 two mounds, including King Henry's Mound, were listed as possible prehistoric barrows.
Its ecological value is formally recognised. Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1992, the largest in London, it was cited for its diverse deadwood beetles and the capital's most extensive dry acid grassland. In 2005 it became a Special Area of Conservation, sitting at the heart of south London's stag beetle range. Dog owners must keep pets under control, and walking dogs during the deer birthing season is discouraged.
Local volunteers have long defended it. The Friends of Richmond Park formed in 1961 after the speed limit rose to 30 mph and fears grew that its roads might join the main highway system; in 1969 they exposed and helped defeat a plan to do just that. The group has 3,700 members and patrons including David Attenborough. The limit fell back to 20 mph in 2004.
A gunpoint mugging in 1854 reputedly prompted a dedicated park police force. Recreation now includes the 11.6 km Tamsin Trail loop, a Saturday parkrun, permit fishing on Pen Ponds and a public golf course opened in 1923 by the future Edward VIII. The park also played roles in both world wars and the 1948 Olympics.
Source: Richmond Park
