This South-western suburb is located in the western portion of East Sheen. The area is separated from the eastern portion by Sheen Lane and Sheen Gate, which stretches from north to south from the banks of the River Thames to Sawyer’s Hill Road deep in Richmond Park. Upper Richmond Road cuts through the area from east to west, which is part of the high street area, leading on to Sheen Lane and the Stag Brewery by the River Thames. The street layout of the area mainly consists of straight roads, with some cul-de-sacs in between. The houses nearer to Richmond Park are detached and grander, in particular along Fife Road. The housing stock becomes more modest away from the park, from still-considerable semi-detached houses, and later to Victorian and interwar terrace houses. The area closer to the Thames is home to a cottage estate, built during the interwar period by the London County Council. Overall, the area is a quiet village, with access to both the lush Richmond Park as well as the river path along the Thames. The housing stock fits the area well – from large standalone houses to small terraced cottages.

The area was first recorded in the Domesday Book as having a fishery, and indeed the nearby area of Mortlake’s name likely derives from its fishing industry – the Old English words ‘mort’ (which means a young salmon) and ‘lacu’ (a small stream, which no longer exists in the area). The manor of Mortlake would stretch out a considerable area, though the village was confined to a few houses on a single street by the riverside, but even this was considered to be a fairly large community. The village would begin to grow, however, when King James I financially-backed a tapestry works which employed Flemish workers here. King Charles I would later buy out the business, and soon after that the area which is today Richmond Park would become his hunting ground.

Mortlake Brewery dates back to 1487, though the Maltings building would only be built in 1903, when James Watney & Co. bought the brewery. The site was hit directly several times during the Blitz, but carried on operating after the war. Budweiser was brewed at the site from 1995 until 2015, when Reselton Properties Limited would purchase the building for redevelopment.

East Sheen is very poorly connected to central London, and indeed to any area beyond its immediate surroundings. The only station in the area is Mortlake, a South Western Railway station with relatively infrequent service. Kew Gardens station, served by both the Overground and the District line, is however only 2 kilometres away. Again, though, services are not as frequent as other tube lines, but more so than the SWR. At the same time, getting into central London would take upwards of an hour.

The Stag Brewery redevelopment site is the largest such area in the Borough of Richmond. It proposes a mixed-use scheme for the area, including residential, retail, office, recreational and education purposes, and the inclusion of green and community spaces. Public realm improvements at Mortlake Green and Mortlake Station will also be undertaken to enhance connections to the development. Other features include a new secondary school, which would accommodate 1200 pupils, and the establishment of a local rowing club with direct river access. Almost 50,000 square feet of new office space is included within the scheme and this together with the other commercial uses will help to provide employment opportunities for 500-600 full time jobs. The development also aims to deliver almost 1100 new homes, though how many of these units will be affordable has not yet been revealed. While the initiative to redevelop this site, which dates back to the 15th century, have been in the works since 2017, the features of its design and the variety of its uses that we just outlined are actually from a 2022 revision of the proposal, the first iteration of which was refused by Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2021. The mayor has been battling with the property developer interested in the site’s redevelopment, Reselton Properties, to increase the affordable housing provision to the 35% outlined in the London Plan. Richmond Council also agrees with the mayor, though they initially approved the scheme. The redevelopment has sparked much controversy since its inception in 2017, with a group of community campaigners also backing the mayor and the council’s change of heart. A new planning application was submitted in early 2022 and public consultations have taken place, so a decision on the new plans should be coming out soon.