DOWN THE garden path

Lying nine miles or so southwest of London, between Richmond and Ham, Petersham is a place apart. There’s no high street as such and, though there are a good number of historic houses and a charming, if somewhat hidden, 18th-century village lock-up, none are open to the public. By car, it would be easy to miss the village, but approach from the river, and the picture is more seductive.

Cross Richmond’s pretty green – Henry VIII’s old jousting ground – noting the stone arch of The Gatehouse (one of the last surviving traces of Richmond Palace, the much-loved home of Elizabeth I) and head towards the banks of the Thames. Today the frenetic comings and goings of the court