Man and van in Richmond
The Thames runs through the middle, crossings are few, the park gates shut overnight and on some streets the van stops at the corner.
Covering Richmond, Twickenham, Barnes, Kew, Mortlake and East Sheen.
One borough on both banks, and few ways across the water
This is the only London borough on both banks of the Thames. It runs from Barnes and Kew round to Twickenham and Hampton, with the river through the middle and a limited number of crossings.
Barnes to Twickenham looks short, yet the van may need a long detour to get over the water. Booking a man with a van for a cross-river move? Give both full addresses.
The park is the other false shortcut. Its roads are narrow, the speed limit is low and the gates close overnight, so an early start or late finish may find them shut.
Conservation streets, riverside flats at Kew, off-street parking in East Sheen
Expect Victorian and Georgian houses, a great many of them in conservation areas. There are mansion blocks near Richmond station and riverside flats at Kew and Mortlake.
Larger family houses in Barnes and East Sheen usually have off-street parking. With the van parked off the street, house removals there run considerably quicker than on the narrow streets around Richmond Hill.
Busy permit bays by the stations, hardly a gap by the green
Permit zones cover Richmond town centre, Twickenham and the streets closest to the stations, and they are busy. Up Richmond Hill and around the green the streets are narrow, with residents parked nose to tail, so a space long enough for a van is rare.
On many conservation-area streets a large van has nowhere to stand at all. The driver may pull in at the nearest corner and carry from there, adding a walk to every box. If your door is well along a tight street, flag it at the booking stage.
Rugby crowds, river detours and a long carry from the corner
In Richmond the time goes on the river, the park, the rugby and the conservation streets.
- Twickenham match days: rugby fills local roads and closes some across TW1 and TW2.
- A cross-river job, such as Barnes to Twickenham, with a detour to reach a crossing.
- A route through Richmond Park at its low speed limit, or a gate already shut for the night.
- Loading from the corner of a conservation street rather than the front door.
Man and van in Richmond: timing it around the river and the rugby
Saturdays need care. Look at the Twickenham fixture list before you pick a date, because a match day can turn a short run through TW1 into a crawl.
Then give the driver the whole picture: both addresses, which side of the river each is on, any off-street parking and the type of building. For removals in Richmond that detail matters, because the route and the carry can change from one street to the next. The same goes for the far end if you are heading to Hounslow, Kingston, Wandsworth or Hammersmith.
- Few river crossings: Barnes to Twickenham can mean a long detour.
- Richmond Park's gates close overnight; do not route through it.
- Twickenham match days clog and close roads across TW1 and TW2.
- Off-street parking in Barnes and East Sheen saves real time.
Congestion Charge and ULEZ in Richmond
No Congestion Charge here: the whole borough is outside the zone, so a move within it never pays.
ULEZ and any charge are in the driver’s price. How pricing works
What a move from Richmond costs
Other areas close to Richmond
TW3, TW4, TW7, TW8, TW13, TW14
KT1, KT2, KT3, KT5
SW11, SW12, SW17, SW18
W6, W12, W14, SW6
Moving in Richmond: your questions
Usually, yes. Off-street parking, which most larger houses there have, makes it considerably quicker than a similar house on a narrow street.
Check the Twickenham fixture list first. On match days local roads fill and some close across TW1 and TW2, which can slow both the drive and the loading.
The station streets sit in a busy permit zone, so give the exact address and floor up front.