Richmond Theatre, A Walk to Petersham

Saturday, 8 February 2020:

Today we ate lunch at The Retreat Kitchen on Hill Rise in Richmond.  We like this petite café a lot where the food is always delectable and fresh.

We were in Richmond to see a play at the Richmond Theatre, a grand Victorian playhouse built by architect Frank Matcham, which first opened in 1899. The Theater is situated on one side of expansive Richmond Green.  We had hours before the play, so we took an unhurried stroll around Richmond, and to Petersham….

Richmond Theatre

Opposite the Theater, on Richmond Green, are the ruins of Richmond Palace, a royal residence in the 16th and 17th century.  Queen Elizabeth I died in this Palace in 1603, a death attributed by some to blood poisoning as a result of the copious amounts of lead-based makeup she wore in her later years.  Following the execution of Charles I, a Protestant King who foolishly married a Catholic bride thus leading to his beheading, the Palace was demolished.  However, today one can see a few remaining buildings including the Gate House, built in 1501.  Richmond today is a busy and modern neighborhood but historic sites like this successfully transport me back to another age, albeit for a few minutes.

Richmond Green

Richmond Palace Gate House

Cottages Close to Richmond Palace

From the Palace ruins, we walked along the Thames River to the village of Petersham on a narrow wooded path alongside Petersham Meadows.   Petersham today is still referred to as a village but a more apt description is that it is a very affluent suburb of London with lovely old homes.   Today Londoners come to Petersham to visit one place in particular.  When Eddie told me we were going to stop and have coffee at Petersham Nurseries, I had no idea what I was about to encounter.  Petersham Nurseries is an incomparable place.  It covers an expansive area in which one finds numerous glasshouses and similar structures, each one offering plants, 'lifestyle ' housewares and furniture, and cafés.  Today being Saturday, the place was very crowded.  It took me awhile but it finally dawned on me that the décor of this place with its plentiful distressed metal patio furniture, rustic unfinished mud-clay floors, ornate low-slung chandeliers, purposely-chipped heavy stone bowls and crockery is the epitome of what is known today as "shabby chic" décor, a style of interior decoration that uses furniture and furnishings that are or appear to be pleasingly old and slightly worn.

Wooded Path from Richmond to Petersham

All Saints' Church in Petersham (Now a Private Residence)

A Street in Petersham

We then walked back to Richmond through Petersham Meadows, along the River Thames, and had dinner at Tortilla.  To our great elation, we have recently discovered that one can easily find delicious Mexican food in London.  I am glad to know that I can still get a satisfying burrito, so far from California.  Avocados, in fact, are easily found in food markets here.

Petersham Meadows

We then went to see the play My Cousin Rachel at the Richmond Theatre.  The over-the-top gothic story (Did she or did she not murder her husband?) by Daphne Du Maurier, which takes place in Victorian Cornwall, fit this beautiful and grand Victorian theatre wonderfully.