Thames Landscape Strategy - Hampton to Kew -

News

Restored Riverside Gardens Opened

Over 100 local people and riverside users gathered by the riverside on Monday evening to celebrate the official opening of the newly restored Bridge House Gardens by Richmond Bridge.

The rain held off long enough for the opening ceremony which was carried out in the traditional Thames Landscape Strategy way of the cutting a garland of ivy picked from Richmond Hill. Performing the ceremony was Cllr Treble, Richmond upon Thames Mayor, Kevin Beeston Chief Executive of Serco Group and two of the volunteers who helped plant the gardens Joy Lee and Patrick Kidner.

The £200,000 restoration was made possible through the London’s Arcadia Heritage Lottery Funded scheme. Match funding was secured from a number of sources including a grant of £30,000 from the Serco Group who have their head office in Richmond and Transport for London. Many smaller grants were received for bench installations and tree planting including the new riverside cherry trees sponsored by the Shaw family to mark the christening of Eliza.

Jason Debney Co-ordinator of the Thames Landscape Strategy said, “The gardens are a wonderful asset for the riverside and a real improvement on what was there before. We are so pleased with the finished result and in that so many of the plants survived the summer drought. Special thanks have to go to Tasha Hunter and Ken MacKenzie who organised legions of volunteer waterers all summer long to keep the plants alive. Watering was not easy during a house pipe ban – river water had to be carried to the gardens in buckets. The volunteers really did work so hard”.

In addition to the planting the restoration included the installation of an accessible ramp to link the river with Richmond Bridge for the first time, new railings, sealed gravel footpaths and new lights to improve safety.

Jos Joslin National Trails Manager who identified this site as one of the key access points along the Thames Path said “We are delighted with the improved access from Richmond down to the Thames Path – a long overdue improvement and an inspiration for others”.

London’s Arcadia is a three-year Heritage Lottery Funded initiative led by the Thames Landscape Strategy in partnership with the London Borough of Richmond, the National Trust, English Heritage and the Environment Agency. The next wave of projects will be consulted on later in the autumn and will include works along the Warren Footpath, the Ham Avenues and the Ham Towpath.

> Back to full news listings
> Back to the homepage