This Richmond suburb consists of a unique mix of leafy residential roads, beautiful green space, and a mysterious occupied island called Eel Pie, which sits only a few metres out from the Twickenham mainland. The residential streets are typical of the local area, lined with large, attractive Victorian and Edwardian terraced cottages, and a few red-brick post-war blocks. There are also a number of good local schools to choose from for the families who live here. The stunning Marble Hill Park and Orleans Gardens form the neighbourhood’s eastern border, and offer the local community huge swathes of green space. Accessible by a small footbridge, Eel Pie Island sits to the south, and is home to boat builders’ yards, artists’ studios, a few small businesses, and about 120 inhabitants.

There are records of an inn on Eel Pie Island by at least 1743, suggesting that it has been a popular spot for a drink for centuries, and by the 19th century it had become a popular stop off for steamer excursions. Boatyards, pleasure grounds, a bowling green, and a hotel were all built over the next few years, but it was not until 1957 that a footbridge was built to connect the island with the mainland. Once the bridge was built the island’s isolation from mainland residents made it the perfect location for music venues and artists’ studios that regularly held parties until the early hours. Due to police pressure the venues closed down, but in 1969, the now rundown hotel was occupied by a group of anarchists, who helped transform the island into one of the largest hippie communes in the country, elements of which still remain today.

In the island’s musical heyday (1957-1969), the dance hall played host to a number of bands including The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, The Who, The Yardbirds, Black Sabbath, Genesis, Deep Purple, and King Crimson! It has also been home to Doctor Who actor William Hartnell, the band Mystery Jets, and the comedian Nigel Planer, who played Neil in The Young Ones.

While the area is pretty well connected to the rest of south west London by bus, train into central London can be trickier. The neighbourhood is popular with commuters, but its situation in Zone 5 makes train transport very expensive, especially for those who regularly travel at peak times. It is also not blessed with the 24-hour transport that other parts of the city are.

Twickenham Riverside, which sits to the south of the neighbourhood, is a prime target for redevelopment. While the site has seen a number of redevelopment initiatives get scrapped in the past, such as proposals by Francis Terry in conjunction with Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher, and earlier Terry scheme, Hopkins Architects’ proposal for the site regeneration has been approved and plans for its initiations are in the pipeline. That said, the project has gained some controversy from local groups. The Twickenham Riverside Trust, a local residents group that also holds a leasehold over part of the land, announced in late 2021 its decision to oppose the scheme rather than proactively engage with the authority on the redevelopment’s latest incarnation. This decision was prompted by the group believing that compensation the Council proposed for the redevelopment of Diamond Jubilee Gardens, included in their leasehold, was inadequate. The group is seeking to have the gardens removed from the Council’s brownfield register but a final decision on the matter has not been announced. Other locals have also begun protesting against the project’s on nearby Eel Pie Island and its accessibility, which is currently reached by bridge. The Council assures that accessibility will remain excellent but residents disagree. As of now, the project’s initiation is still uncertain.