About 50 members and guests turned up for the Society’s inaugural heritage walk of the 2018 season – an exploration of many of the byways of Richmond including the town’s historic lanes, courts and alleyways on a fine, summery evening. It was led by Paul Velluet, seen in the photo during a pause by two of the red telephone kiosks close to The Prince’s Head on The Green, now preserved and listed thanks to The Richmond Society’s intervention some years ago. Richmond used to have 40 of these iconic phone boxes, now there are only four.

Such was the success of the tour that the size of the group precluded deeper exploration into some of the smaller lanes and a plan to end the evening with an adjournment to The Victoria, Richmond’s smallest pub on the lower slopes of Richmond Hill, had to be abandoned. Many of us ended up in The Duke’s Head in The Vineyard, where more anecdotes about Richmond’s rich heritage were exchanged.

The next walk is on Wednesday 23 May. The title is From The Lass to the Marshgate: The Queen’s Road Estate, Pesthouse Common and Courtlands. A visit to the former Parish Workhouse of 1787, now converted to residential apartments, is included.