On Monday Bertie and I drove to Richmond Park. The park is closed to traffic; pedestrians and cyclists are cautioned to keep well apart and not meet in groups. This was largely observed. Incidentally, the roads outside the park are the only ones south of the Humber that have free parking.
The silver lining was that we could go to places close to roads, normally dangerous for Bertie. Richmond Park is 2,360 acres enclosed by a Grade II Listed brick wall eight miles in circumference. We started at Sheen Gate and walked around the inside of the wall going clockwise. It took us four hours as Bertie stopped to make canine friends – dogs don’t keep one metre apart. I found my old Irish Guards blackthorn a useful measure – two lengths is safe. It is quieter than usual – I only saw two ‘planes and one helicopter all morning. It was a bright sunny day and I was grateful to have such a special park on the doorstep.
Unusually we didn’t see any deer; this may be the reason.
Some facts that you may not know about the park.
- Charles I moved his Court to Richmond Palace in 1625 to dodge the plague.
- The park is about three times bigger than Central Park.
- Pembroke Lodge was the home of Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, and his grandson, the philosopher Bertrand Russell.
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General Eisenhower lived in Thatched House Lodge during the Second World War. Since 1963 Princess Alexandra has lived there.
That’s enough “facts” culled from Wikipedia.
It was announced on Sunday that Margravine Cemetery would be closed to prevent people congregating there. The culprits are mostly pupils at the two local colleges. As they are both closed Hammersmith and Fulham Council had a change of heart and it is open with users staying well apart. I noticed this unusual inscription yesterday afternoon.
It is the first time I have seen an inscription written by a comrade.