Halford Road is a pretty, well maintained road that runs from St Mary Magdalene Church in the heart of Richmond up to The Vineyard. St Mary’s celebrated its 800 year anniversary last year with 12 months of events for residents and visitors including a broadcast of ‘Songs of Praise’ in September. The lower part of the road has three-four bedroom Victorian terraced houses with lovely flower filled front gardens and courtyard rear gardens. As you turn the bend in the road a short cul-de-sac of smart Victorian terraced houses leads up to The Vineyard Passageway and the ancient Vineyard Burial Ground of the parish of Richmond.
This secluded and quiet wooded wildlife garden is maintained by an active group of local volunteers who are members of the Environment Trust of Richmond Upon Thames. It was consecrated in 1790 and the mortal remains of parishioners who died between 1790-1874 rest here. There are many notable graves here including a princess - Princess De Chimay. She fled the court of Versailles during the French Revolution, to come and live beside Richmond Green. A great friend to the Duke of Richmond, she was known to Horace Walpole of Strawberry Hill, who wrote a poem in her honour.
Ninety years later it was transformed into a woodland garden. There are more than 50 varieties of wildflower together with birds, butterflies and squirrels, making it the perfect place to sit and relax and enjoy the tranquility only moments from the town centre.
In the middle of the road is Halford House. Halford Road was formed on the site of the garden of Halford house (built in 1710) between 1881 and 1886. John Halford, a wealthy vintner, had purchased the house in 1776. The house was originally called Vineyard House, but the name was probably changed in part to avoid confusion with another Vineyard nearby. Carteret John Halford, the purchaser’s son, was living there in 1825, having disposed of the Castle Hotel soon after his father’s death; the house survives. A large extension was built in 1880, it still has a good garden, and since 1954 has been used by the Christian Fellowship. Next door is a small hall ‘The Annexe’ where ‘Little Miracles’ - a toddlers and carers group for local families meets every Thursday morning (currently closed due to Covid19). Activities include craft, creative play, story telling and singing.
The properties on the wider upper end of the road are larger and of varying Victorian styles, many with off-street parking and those at the very top have raised ground floors. A few have been converted into apartments.
The Average Property Price: £1,705,697 (May 2021)
Local Knowledge & Neighbourhood Haunts:
Halford Road is superbly located for buzzy Richmond town centre just a few minutes walk away, yet the road is peaceful with a strong community spirit. Many of the residents were active participants in the Richmond Hill Covid Support Group set up to help Richmond Hill residents during the pandemic as well as making visors, PPE and taking part in NHS donations. Like most of Richmond’s roads the residents are an interesting mix of families taking advantage of Richmond’s great schools, down-sizers and couples starting out on the first homes together.
Transport links are great, with the bus station just round the corner by Church Terrace and Richmond Station is only six minute walk through the centre of town. A relative newcomer Diba Persian restaurant sits at the end of the road opposite the Travelodge hotel.
What The Neighbours Say:
‘Living in quiet a cul-de-sac so close to the town means we can get to the river, station, shops and restaurants in a little over 5 minutes so it’s never a burden getting somewhere. We love seeing Halford House and the beautiful St Mary’s church on our daily outings and popping to Wholefoods for a treat.’
Mr & Mrs H
‘We have been living in Richmond since 1998. Originally renting in Church Road, we bought our first property in Cardigan Road on the hill, then relocated for a short spell in Montague Road before finally settling down in Halford Road in 2007. It coincided with our son starting school at the Vineyard primary school and each day, walking up the hill and joining other families on the way was an absolute dream. Halford Road is a quiet residential road yet it’s 3 minutes away from Richmond high street and all it has to offer. We love going to the movies and the local Odéon cinéma or the Film house are literally on our door step. Over the years we have made friends with a wide and varied range of residents, some expatriates like me, coming and going, and others Richmond born and bred, whom after adventuring out and about always return to their wonderful and peaceful Richmond. Our family dog loves the proximity of the Thames river path, offering access to many green spaces like Terrace Gardens, Petersham Meadows, Old Deer Park and many other beautiful sites. We absolutely love living here and highly recommend it’.
Sophie
Comments