This affluent, riverside neighbourhood is centred around the magnificent Strawberry Hill House. The residential streets that spread from it are populated by the typical Edwardian semis that define London’s suburban areas, as well as a number of large, detached homes along Waldegrave Road in particular. The riverside is one of the neighbourhood’s most desirable features, although unfortunately there is little by way of towpath to see the water from. That being said, the green space of Radnor Gardens does lead directly down to the river bank, and provides the locals with somewhere idyllic to relax when the weather permits. Strawberry Hill and Twickenham stations operate regular services into central London, which makes the neighbourhood very popular with commuters and families who wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the inner city, and the local St. Mary’s University means you’re never too far from the vibrant student population.

Strawberry Hill House gives the area its name. The Gothic Revival villa was built by Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford, in 1747, when he discovered the small site of ‘Chopped Straw Hall’ on the banks of the Thames. As Walpole’s summer residence, the house became a tourist attraction for local residents, four of whom were permitted per day, and was also the perfect place for the earl to entertain ambassadors and royalty. The villa’s popularity was a key factor in the reemergence of the Gothic Revival style in architecture over the next century and a half.

After the house had passed through a number of hands, it was sold to St Mary’s University in 1923, where it became the teaching quarters of the Vincentian Fathers. In 2007 it was leased to Strawberry Hill Trust for restoration and its eventual opening to the public in 2010.

The area is a surprising treasure trove of 18th century history. As well as Walpole’s Strawberry Hill, the neighbourhood was also home to the Palladian villa of Alexander Pope, who moved to Twickenham in 1719. Interestingly, Pope’s garden was separated from the villa by a road, so he decided to build a tunnel under the road to connect the two, inside which he built a grotto in 1720. Pope developed an interest in geology and mining, so in 1739 he decorated the grotto with ores, stalactites, crystals and other materials one would find underground. He even took parts of the Giant’s Causeway to act as decoration. The grotto has been a tourist attraction all its life and remains open to the public today.

While the transport into London is reasonably regular, the neighbourhoods’ Zone 5 location means getting the train into town can become very expensive. Also, congestion caused by the nearby Twickenham Stadium can be a nuisance for residents and tourists alike.

The planned redevelopment of the Twickenham Riverside to the north of to the east of the neighbourhood, is set to revamp the underappreciated part of the town. 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.