Petersham Common Woods

Real woods are rich and dense; they're different to the carefully planted city parks. Despite being surrounded on three sides by main roads, Petersham Common Woods feels secluded. The dense foliage perfectly encloses the space in all directions. In some parts the tops of the trees are so thick they block out the sky. Even the ground is hidden by a thick layer of leaves.

It's easy to miss Petersham Common Woods, just outside the gates of Richmond Park. I did for a long time and I'm sure lots of people do every day.

Twickenham Bridge

Twickenham Bridge was designed by architect Maxwell Ayrton and opened in 1933. It crosses the Thames and joins what once were Middlesex and Surrey (now both part of Greater London).

Old Deer Park Corridor

In Richmond, there is a narrow sliver of Old Deer Park which has been cut off from the rest by the Great Chertsey Road. The bigger, more obvious green spaces nearby draw away the wanderers, leaving just the occasional dog-walker or short-cutter.

I really like parks in towns and cities, even though they are not as vast or unspoilt as fields in the open country. In the same way a desert oasis seems attractive because of its barren surroundings, this natural corridor of greenery bounded on three sides by a railway, a car park, and an A road feels quite special.

Entering from the car park end, you are at road and railway level on a flat plane. As you walk to the other end, towards the Thames, the road and railway gradually rise on either side to meet their bridges, creating a cosy, private space.

Arches under the railway link to Richmond town and a tunnel under the road joins the corridor to the rest of Old Deer Park.