Deputy Mayor’s Blog: Richmond and Chile – the ties that bind us

What connects Richmond with Chile, the southernmost country in the world, that long narrow strip of land on South America’s western edge with the mighty Andes mountains on one side and 6,000 km of Pacific Ocean coastline on the other?

The answer is Bernardo O’Higgins and just off Richmond Bridge, in O’Higgins Square, you can find a statue of him.

This year, like every year in August, the Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, attended a commemorative ceremony for Bernardo O’Higgins and laid a wreath in his memory at his statue. 2023 is the 245th anniversary of O’Higgins’ birth in 1778.

The Mayor was joined by members of the Chilean Embassy along with other dignitaries and I was also privileged and honoured to be able to participate. For me it was particularly special as I was born in Chile myself.

So, who exactly was Captain General Bernardo O’Higgins and what brought him to Richmond? Well, to cut a long story short, he is considered one of Chile’s founding fathers and is known as El Libertador (the Liberator) who freed the country from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence.  At 17, he was sent to London to complete his education and lived at Clarence House at 2 the Vineyard in Richmond which has a blue plaque in his honour.  Richmond is important because it was here that the first seeds of his belief in democracy and independence were sown.

O’Higgins was the illegitimate son Ambrosio O’Higgins, a Spanish officer born in County Sligo, Ireland, who became Governor of Chile and later Viceroy of Peru. A loyal servant of Spain, Ambrosio arguably became the most powerful man in South America. Bernardo’s mother, Isabel Riquelme, came from a prominent local family in Chillan, central-southern Chile.  While Bernardo had a distant relationship with his father, whom he never met (Spanish government officials were forbidden from marrying locals), Ambrosio did support his son financially and was concerned with his education. When he rose to be Viceroy of Peru, he sent Bernardo to study history and the arts in London.  Ironically, it was here in Richmond that Bernardo became acquainted with American ideas of independence and then met Venezuelan idealist Francisco de Miranda who established the masonic lodge, Logia Lautaro, dedicated to the independence of Latin America.  After returning to Chile Bernardo joined the nationalist rebels fighting for independence in 1810.  Despite many setbacks, including having to retreat into the Andes, eventually with the aid of Argentine General Jose de San Martin, he went back on the offensive. In 1817 he led a courageous cavalry charge that won the decisive battle of Chacabuco.   He became Supreme Director of Chile in Feb 1817 and in Feb 1818 Chile was proclaimed an independent republic.

O’Higgins’ six-year rule saw the writing of the constitution, the founding of the military academy and the Chilean Navy and the approval of the Chilean flag, still in use today.  His more radical liberal reforms such as the establishment of democracy and the abolition of titles of nobility were, however, resisted by powerful, conservative landowners. The deaths of his political enemies, a massive earthquake and the country falling into debt and having to negotiate a £1 million loan from the UK, alienated people further and in 1823 O’Higgins was deposed by a conservative coup.  He spent the rest of his life in exile in Peru where he was encouraged by Simon Bolivar to support the nationalist efforts there but did not see military action again.  Over time his reputation in Chile was rehabilitated and he was invited back in early 1842.  He set off but heart problems forced him to return to Lima where he died later that year. His body was taken back to Chile where his memory is now honoured nationwide.

O’Higgins is remembered and celebrated as a man who overturned his own colonial background to fight for the freedom and independence of the then Latin American territories and in particular Chile. Richmond holds a special place in many Chileans’ affections as it was here where the remarkable change in O’Higgins’ life began and where he found his political direction. As a result, a surprising number of Chileans know quite a lot about Richmond and I hope this tie that binds us means that lots of us will, in turn, learn more about the wonderful country that is Chile and the legacy of Barnardo O’Higgins whose beliefs and attitudes still influence people today.

Mayor's charity events

Charity events in September 2023.

Mayor's Twickenham Tour and Tea

On Sunday 10 September 2023, join the Mayor for a guided tour of Twickenham with tea afterwards at York House. Tickets are £25 and include a special souvenir booklet.

Evening at The Museum of Richmond

On Monday 18 September 2023, enjoy a private visit to the Museum of Richmond with an introduction from the curator and drinks and canapés with the Mayor. Tickets are £20.

All proceeds go to the Mayor's charities, Age UK Richmond and SEEN.

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