Know Your Place events

Burton: Exploring without Boundaries

A Reminiscence Café with Habitats & Heritage.

Join Tharik Hussain, Outreach and Education Officer at Habitats & Heritage, for a compelling exploration of Sir Richard Burton’s journeys and his complex relationship with Islam. Through the lens of Burton’s controversial Hajj pilgrimage, Hussain uncovers fresh insights into the famed explorer’s travels and his enduring fascination with Islamic cultures.

• Date: Friday 15 May 2026
• Time: 11am to 12.15pm
• Location: Richmond Library Annexe
• Price: Free event, booking required

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A local history society showcase & salon

Celebrating the work of our local history societies.

Interested in the history of your borough, thinking of joining a local history society, or curious about new discoveries? Join our local history salon where four local societies share their latest work, discuss new findings, and celebrate recent achievements. These bite-sized talks are sure to spark your own journey into the rich and fascinating history of Richmond upon Thames.

• Date: Saturday 16 May 2026
• Time: 5 to 7pm
• Location: The Riverside Room
• Price: Free event, booking required

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Explore Richmond borough on foot

With Richmond Heritage Guides.

Step into the borough’s past with experienced Heritage Guides on a trio of local history walks. From royal connections and riverside views to poets, palaces and historic landmarks, each walk offers a different perspective on Richmond’s rich heritage. 

Kew walks

• Date: Sunday 17 May and Sunday 14 June
• Time: 2 to 4pm
• Meeting location: St Anne’s Church
• Price: £5, cash only. No booking required

Twickenham Riverside walks

• Date: Sunday 24 May and Sunday 21 June
• Time: 11am to 1pm
• Meeting location: St Mary’s Church
• Price: £5, cash only. No booking required

Historic Richmond walks

• Date: Sunday 7 June
• Time: 2 to 4pm
• Meeting location: Richmond train station
• Price: £5, cash only. No booking required

Hampton: then and now with John Sheaf

Covering 100 years of Hampton history.

Step back in time and rediscover Hampton with local historian John Sheaf. Blending modern photos with rare images taken over a century ago, John leads you on a vivid visual journey through Hampton’s key streets, showing how familiar landmarks have transformed. Each “then and now” pairing reveals a unique story, drawn from John’s extraordinary archive of historic Hampton photographs, carefully built over the past 40 years.

• Date: Tuesday 19 May 2026
• Time: 7.30 to 8.30pm
• Location: Hampton Library
• Price: £7, booking required

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Personal Archives, Memory & Identity

Student art exhibition at York House.

L3 Year 2 Creative Practice Art students from Richmond upon Thames College showcase bold, multi media artworks on the theme of Personal Archives, Memory & Identity, created in partnership with the Know Your Place Heritage Festival, Nutkhut and York House Society, celebrating the centenary of York House.

• Date: Thursday 21 May 2026
• Time: 5.30 to 7.30pm
• Location: Clarendon Hall, York House
• Price: Free event, no booking required

Researching the history of your house

A beginner’s workshop.

Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you, or what your house originally looked like? Join our Local Studies team to find out in a workshop guiding you through the resources available in the Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Library and Archive.

• Date: Friday 22 May 2026 and Thursday 4 June 2026
• Time: 10 to 11am
• Location: Local Studies Library and Archive
• Price: £7, booking required

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Design and build a Lego community

Redesign Richmond upon Thames this half term.

Do you think Richmond should have a theme park, a zoo or even a space shuttle? This half term we are inviting all budding architects, archivists and, most importantly, fans of Lego, to join us in re-imagining a Richmond for the future.

• Date: Friday 29 May 2026
• Time: 10.30am to 12pm
• Location: Twickenham Library
• Price: Free event, no booking required

Suitable for ages 7 to 10. Children must be supervised.

Gardens & people of Twickenham Park

Walk through hidden history.

Join Andrew George, author of The Gardens and People of Twickenham Park, for a fascinating walk through Twickenham and St Margaret’s. The walk will include access to hidden gardens and spaces not normally open to the public. You’ll also visit Duck’s Walk, a remarkable setting for leisure, music, and a touch of Beatles history. 

• Date: Saturday 6 June 2026
• Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm
• Meeting location: Community noticeboard, Richmond Road, East Twickenham
• Price: £7, booking required

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Drawing Richmond: An Art Workshop

Join author and illustrator, Charles Leon, in a sketching workshop, suitable for both beginners and more experienced artists.

The creator of the Sketch Journal series will guide you on a two-hour exploration with tips on perspective and noticing the small. Paper, fine liners, and pencils will be provided.

• Date: Tuesday 9 June 2026
• Time: 5.30 to 7.30pm
• Location: Whittaker Ellis Suite, Old Town Hall
• Price: £12, booking required

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A beginner’s guide to family history

Finding the past in the most unexpected places.

Learn how to follow clues to discover information in unexpected places. Using the example of the Etherington family, who have lived in the area for over 200 years, we will demonstrate how you can use our resources to put the pieces of the jigsaw together.

• Date: Wednesday 10 June 2026
• Time: 10 to 11am
• Location: Local Studies Library and Archive
• Price: £7, booking required

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The rise and fall of Richmond Palace

A visual presentation.

Join us for a dynamic talk with Mark Lucas. Lost over 370 years ago, Richmond Palace once shaped the identity of the place we cherish today. Bringing the past alive, Lucas uncovers Richmond Palace’s past and reveals what life there was like from its 1497 beginnings to its 1651 end.

• Date: Tuesday 16 June 2026
• Time: 2.30 to 3.30pm
• Location: Whittaker Ellis Suite, Old Town Hall
• Price: £7, booking required

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