Nearby Richmond (also called Richmond-upon-Thames) is also acknowledged as a "suburb" of London and is only 8 miles from the centre of London. Richmond is famous since ancient times as one of the loveliest areas of England. Located on the Thames river, it has a beautiful relaxed village atmosphere, great shopping, cinemas, lots of excellent restaurants and clubs, as well as some truly great pubs right on the river itself. Also lots of trendy antique shops, a stunning bucolic old English village green where cricket is played in summer, beautiful houses, and excellent rail links to the city with both the Tube and overland rail, being only 18 minutes from London Waterloo with over-ground British Rail services. Not to be missed, it is worth a day trip itself. Climb Richmond Hill and look out over a stunning vista of riverland and the Thames, and from here you can either walk into (or cycle!) to nearby Richmond Park, which is a huge Royal Park being home to herds of deer as well as many birds, foxes and badgers. If you go at dusk or even after dark, you may well catch a glimpse of one of these elusive creatures. There is an abundance of parks and the river walks go for miles, upriver to either Hampton Court or down river to nearby beautiful Kew Gardens. Take your beloved rowing on the Thames on a lazy summer afternoon! A must do on a visit to London!
Nearby Kingston (also called Kingston -upon-Thames) is easily reached from Richmond via a 10 minute leisurly drive through beautiful Richmond Park. Kingston is part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, and is an ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned. Kingston was built at the first crossing point of the River Thames upstream from London Bridge and a bridge still exists at the same site. It also has a historic past in that it was also a major military aircraft manufacturing centre in the 20th century - notably with the Sopwith, Hawker Aviation and British Aerospace companies. It is also the home of Kingston University. Today Kingston is a large and thriving town best known for its daily market in the town centre which has been there since ancient times. It is also famous for its unrivalled retail shopping and entertainment complexes. It has good parking facilties and also is a busy commercial centre with numerous small office buildings.It is one of the main centres of the south west London bus network, and is connected to Twickenham, Richmond upon Thames, Wimbledon, and London Waterloo by overland train.
An excellent pedestrian mall contains many shops including the large shpping complex - "The Bentall Centre" as well as large branches of all major stores found in most British high streets. There is a also a large branch of the John Lewis department store with a Waitrose supermarket in the basement. The "Rotunda" near the railway station includes a bowling alley, fitness centre, a 14-screen Odeon multiplex cinema and trendy fast-food restaurants. Recent developments along the riverside south of Kingston Bridge have also added new restaurants and a theatre.
Nearby Putney on the west side of the river is also a super trendy area now with oodles of trendy restaurants, eating houses and nightclubs, and is a favourite haunt for hip Londoners. It is also a great spot (Putney Bridge) to watch the annual "Head of the River" boat race between Cambridge and Oxford!
