Hollyhocks Cafe & Terrace Gardens

The program for the opening ceremony for Terrace Gardens in 1887 has an entry referring to the Terrace Tea House operated by H. Lotz of Richmond Hill with cakes supplied by H Morris of 21 George Street.

This is the opening of what became the Hollyhock café. This lovely café, with views over the Terrace Gardens and The River Thames, is one of Richmond's best-kept secrets.

The space for Terrace Gardens was purchased from the 6th Duke of Buccleuch in 1886. The Gardens were landscaped to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign. It is the second oldest council-owned park.

Opened by Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, granddaughter of George III who later became the Duchess of Teck (there is a memorial to her outside the Gates of Richmond Park) – it was attended by 700 guests in foul weather.

The Gardens are built on the grounds of Buccleuch House and Lansdowne House. Hollyhocks café is situated on what was once the Duke of Montagu's summerhouse and has good views across the Thames. This is a great spot to enjoy the vegetarian fair-trade menu. On the slope west of the tea house stands a stone figure of Father Thames by John Bacon 1775, listed Grade II. The statue was rescued from the former Montagu pleasure grounds and moved to Terrace Gardens in the 1990s.

In the northern part of Terrace Gardens, cut into the hillside, is an old ice-house redesigned and decorated with seashells as a garden grotto in the 19th Century. On the upper terrace is a statue of Aphrodite, known as "Bulbous Betty" by Alan Howe, installed in 1952. It has received a lot of criticism over the years.

Connecting Buccleuch Gardens and Terrace Gardens at Grotto Gate is a flint-lined tunnel under Petersham Road, which probably dates from the 18th Century and is Grade II listed.