The WWT London Wetland Centre (105acres of what were once reservoirs) lies to the north of the open space, now largely given over to sporting venues. The site is split in two: the Barn Elms Sports Trust (BEST) fields,[1] formerly managed as the Barn Elms Sports Centre by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames,[2] and the Barn Elms Sports Centre.[3]
Barn Elms Sports Trust
There are facilities for much amateur sport, such as football, rugby, tennis, softball and cricket, and an athletics track. It is also the home ground for Barnes RFC, Barnes Eagles FC,[4]Stonewall FC,[5]London French RFC.[6] and London Exiles RFC.[7] The facilities were under threat of commercial development until the local community petitioned Richmond Council. To ensure the future of Barn Elms as playing fields the community has created the Barn Elms Sports Trust.[8]
Barn Elms Sports Centre
Barn Elms Sports Centre is a 52 acre, multi-sports facility, with a multi-station gym, 4 beach volleyball courts, 16 tennis courts, artificial hockey playing surfaces and a range of grass sports pitches. It is also the home ground for the semi-professional Barnes RFC.[9]
History
Barn Elms manor house in the Victorian era
Its name is derived from the Georgian house and parkland, the original manor house of Barnes, which stood on the site, until it was burnt out and demolished in 1954.[10] In earlier times the manor house of Barnes was in the ownership of the Archbishop of Canterbury and then of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral. The Georgian house replaced the earlier one occupied by Sir Francis Walsingham, "Elizabeth's Spymaster".[11]Queen Elizabeth I would visit Barn Elms to see her Spymaster. Barn Elms features in English literary history from the time the royalist poet Abraham Cowley moved to the house belonging to John Cartwright in 1663.[12]
In the 1660s Barn Elms became a fashionable destination for boating picnics. Samuel Pepys, who arranged many a Sunday afternoon or moonlit evening boating party to Barn Elms himself, recorded that on 26 May 1667:
I walked the length of the Elmes, and with great pleasure saw some gallant ladies and people come with their bottles, and basket, and chairs, and form,[13] to sup under the trees, by the water-side, which was mighty pleasant.[14]
The Barn Elms London Plane tree known as "Barney", one of the Great Trees of London and one of the oldest examples of the species in London
The oldest, and one of the largest London plane trees is in Barn Elms.[16]
When Barn Elms was in the possession of the bookseller Jacob Tonson, the Kit-Cat Club met at Barn Elms for many years. Here the "Kit-Kat portraits" hung;[17] Tonson's extensions to the house, c1703, seem to have been made under the general advice of John Vanbrugh, a Kit-Kat member.[18]
In 1891 Barn Elms for a short time played host to Queens Park Rangers. The club was forced to move there after it became impossible to play soccer at their home ground in Brondesbury which was shared with London Scottish rugby club.[24] The house became derelict and was demolished following a fire in 1954.[25]
Barnes is a district in south London, England, part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It takes up the extreme north-east of the borough, and as such is the closest part of the borough to central London. It is centred 5.8 miles (9.3 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in a bend of the River Thames.
The London Borough of Hounslow is a London borough in West London, England, forming part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 when three smaller borough councils amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. It is governed by Hounslow London Borough Council.
Petersham is a village in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the east of the bend in the River Thames south of Richmond, which it shares with neighbouring Ham. It provides the foreground of the scenic view from Richmond Hill across Petersham Meadows, with Ham House further along the river. Other nearby places include Twickenham, Isleworth, Teddington, Mortlake, and Roehampton.
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in southwest London, England forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. It is governed by Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council and is divided into nineteen wards. The population is 198,019 and the major settlements are Barnes, East Sheen, Mortlake, Kew, Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington and Hampton.
WWT London Wetland Centre is a wetland reserve managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in the Barnes area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest London, England, by Barn Elms. The site is formed of four disused Victorian reservoirs tucked into a loop in the Thames.
Richmond is a town in south-west London, 8.2 miles (13.2 km) west-southwest of Charing Cross. It stands on the River Thames, and features many parks and open spaces, including Richmond Park, and many protected conservation areas, which include much of Richmond Hill. A specific Act of Parliament protects the scenic view of the River Thames from Richmond.
The Kit-Cat Club was an early 18th-century English club in London with strong political and literary associations. Members of the club were committed Whigs. They met at the Trumpet tavern in London and at Water Oakley in the Berkshire countryside.
Jacob Tonson, sometimes referred to as Jacob Tonson the Elder (1655–1736), was an eighteenth-century English bookseller and publisher.
Beverley Brook is a 14.3 km (8.9 mi)-long river in the south-western suburbs of London, England. It rises in Worcester Park and joins the River Thames to the north of the Putney Embankment at Barn Elms, having flowed through the green spaces of Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park, Barnes Common and Putney Lower Common on its course. It is followed for much of its course by the Beverley Brook Walk.
Richmond Park is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since 2019, its Member of Parliament (MP) has been Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats.
Barnes Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Barnes, London. The club currently play in the fourth tier of the English league system, National League 2 East, following an increase of fourth tier leagues from two to three.
Richmond Park Academy is a secondary school with an academy status in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The school is part of the Academies Enterprise Trust academy chain.
St Luke's Church, Kew, is a parish church in Kew, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is part of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion and, locally, is a member of Churches Together in Kew. Together with St Philip and All Saints, it is one of two parishes within the united benefice of Kew, St Philip & All Saints with St Luke. Its vicar, Rev Dr Melanie Harrington, took up the role in June 2021. The church, built in the Gothic Revival style by architects Goldie, Child and Goldie, is also host to the Kew Community Trust and acts as a community centre.
The Ranelagh Club was a polo club located at Barn Elms in south west London, England. It was founded in 1878 as a split-off from the Hurlingham Club and by 1894 was the largest polo club in the world. The club had approximately 3000 members in 1913, including many prominent military figures and members of different royal families.
Barnes Hospital, on South Worple Way, East Sheen, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is a hospital managed by South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. It provides community and inpatient mental health services.
Barnes Football Club is an association football club in Barnes, London. The club had great importance in the development of the game in the nineteenth century and was the first team ever to win a match in the FA Cup.
Barn Elms Rowing Club is a rowing club in the east extreme of Barnes, London, close to Putney. The boathouse is located between Putney and Hammersmith Bridges, forming part of the larger Barn Elms Sports Centre. Opposite it on the river is Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham F.C.. The boathouse is shared with Parr's Priory Rowing Club and Putney High School Rowing Club. Activities include beginner courses, juniors and a junior racing squad, adults beginner and intermediate courses, in addition to recreational participation.
The Beverley Brook Walk is a walking route in the south-western suburbs of London, England. It is 11.5 km (7.1 mi) long, of which the last 10.5 kilometres (6.5 mi) follows the lower reaches of the Beverley Brook, a tributary of the River Thames. It starts at New Malden railway station and ends to the north of the Putney Embankment at Barn Elms, having passed through the green spaces of Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park, Barnes Common and Putney Lower Common on its route.
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