Petersham Road (part of the
A307) includes an extremely sharp right-angled bend edged by a pair of handsome
wrought iron gates. This is the entrance to
Montrose House, one of the most notable houses in Petersham. After a spate of serious accidents on the bend in the road, the neighbours formed a group in the 1850s called Trustees of the Road. The Hon.
Algernon Tollemache of Ham House was their leader and they managed to persuade the owner of Montrose House to part with some land to reduce the sharpness of the bend. But various dents in the brick wall today reveal that motorists are still taken unawares by it.[17]
Adjacent to Montrose House and equally as impressive is Rutland Lodge, built in 1666 for a
Lord Mayor of London;[18] it is Grade II* listed.[19]
Petersham is served by only two bus routes: the
65 and
371, both linking the village with
Richmond and
Kingston upon Thames. It has only a few bus stops such as Sandy Lane, Sudbrook Lane (The Russell School) and Ham Street and The Dysart.
The Russell School on Petersham Road was founded in 1851 by
Lord John Russell, who served twice as Britain's Prime Minister. It was originally located in Richmond Park, near Petersham Gate, but was irreparably damaged by a bomb in 1943 and demolished.[21]
Sudbrook School is a
nursery school housed in Petersham's village hall on Bute Avenue.
All Saints', on Bute Avenue, was built as a church but was never consecrated.[22] It was built between 1899 and 1909 by
Leeds architect
John Kelly for Mrs Rachael Warde (née Walker) (1841–1906)[23] as a memorial to her father Samuel Walker and her aunt Ellen Walker.[24] During World War II it was used as an
Anti-Aircraft Command post[25][26][27] and it has also been used as a recording studio[28] and as a filming location.[29] It is now a private residence.[29]
Sport
Richmond Golf Club, a private golf club, is situated in the historic
Sudbrook Park,[30] adjacent to Richmond Park. The Grade I listed building Sudbrook House, in the park, has been its clubhouse since 1898.[31]
Shirley Bloomer (born 1934), who won three
Grand Slam tennis titles during her tennis-playing career, is the widow of Chris Brasher (see Historical figures below); they brought up their family in Petersham.[34]
Michael Frayn (born 1933), playwright and novelist, and his wife
Claire Tomalin (born 1933), journalist and biographer, live in Petersham.[35]
Chris Brasher (1928–2003), an athlete and sports journalist who co-founded the
London Marathon, lived in River Lane, Petersham.[34]
The author and illustrator
Charles George Harper (1863–1943) lived in Petersham in later life, and died there in 1943.[44]
Lodowick Carlell (1602–1675), courtier and
playwright, and his wife
Joan Carlile (c.1606–1679), portrait painter, lived at
Petersham Lodge in Richmond Park. They are buried together in St Peter's churchyard, but the location of their grave is not known.[45]
The businessman
Tony Rampton (1915–1993), who was chairman of the clothing retailer
Freemans, lived at Gort Lodge, an early 18th-century
Grade II listed house in Petersham, where he and his wife Joan, who were both philanthropists, brought up their family, including their son
Richard Rampton KC (1941–2022), who became a libel lawyer. Tony and Joan Rampton are buried in St Peter's churchyard.[48][49]
George Vancouver (1757–1798), Captain in the
Royal Navy and one of Britain's greatest explorers and navigators, is thought to have lived in Glen Cottage on River Lane in Petersham; he is buried in St Peter's churchyard.[5]
^
abThe London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Volunteer Support Group (2013). The Building of a Borough.
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. pp. 18–20.