On emerging from the station at Richmond, you'd be forgiven for wondering why you're here, but the procession of chain stores spread out along the one-way system is only half the story.
To see the area's more interesting side,
take one of the narrow pedestrianized alleyways off busy George Street,
which bring you to the wide, open space of Richmond Green, one of the
finest village greens in London. Handsome seventeenth- and eighteenth-century
houses line the south side of the Green.
The other place to head for in Richmond is the Riverside, pedestrianized,
terraced and redeveloped in ersatz classical style in the 1980s. The
real joy of the waterfront, however, is Richmond Bridge, London's oldest
extant bridge, an elegant span of five arches made from Purbeck stone
in 1777. Most folk prefer to ensconce themselves in the riverside pubs,
or head for the numerous boat- and bike-rental outlets.
Richmond's greatest attraction, though, is the enormous Richmond Park
at the top of Richmond Hill – 2500 acres of undulating grassland and
bracken, dotted with coppiced woodland and as wild as anything in London.
Eight miles across at its widest point, this is Europe's largest city
park, famed for its red and fallow deer, which roam freely, and for its
ancient oaks.
Source: Rough
Guides