This charming aquatint in the Hearsum Collection, etched by Thomas Sutherland from a drawing by John Gendall, was published by Rudolph Ackermann in 1819.

It shows people enjoying Richmond Park just inside Richmond Gate. The gates and lodge were designed by John Soane to complement the Georgian additions he had made to Pembroke Lodge, and were completed in 1798. When Gendall created his drawing they would have been relatively new and as fashionable as the visitors to the Park depicted here. The illustration is a fine representation of the period – even the greyhounds look stylish with their top-hatted owner!

The gates were widened in 1896 and the height of the second set of gate piers was increased to match the height of the central piers, but otherwise little has changed in this scene. People dress very differently now and there is a stream of cars entering the gates, but the way in which the Park is appreciated is much the same.

  • ” Aquatint “Richmond Park Entrance – As seen from inside the Park”, etched by Thomas Sutherland (1819) from a drawing by John Gendall