Water Lane

Water Lane tells a tale of two distinct halves – a charming London Street divided by time. On one side, the past is alive with Watermans Cottage and the industrial aura of number 18, reminiscent of old Shad Thames Warehouses. The other side takes you back to the 1960s amidst Quinlan Terry’s retrospective architecture, with the Curzon cinema as a testament to that era.

This historic lane rests at the border of Richmond Palace Privy Orchard and Privy Garden, once known as “the Byfleet” when Observant Friars resided here. What’s now the Watermans Arms was a malt-house brewery, and its history likely dates back even further.

Edward Standen, a notable local figure, owned this land. A waterman, Bargemaster, and coal merchant. His passing in 1607 allowed his sons to develop the area, building houses and what became the Collins’ Brewery.

In 1734, at Watermans Arms, Thomas Collyer, the Landlord, and others were jailed for a violent incident with Owen Wells, a fisherman. Wells perished, leaving Collyer’s fate in obscurity.

Change was constant. The Golden Hind Inn gave way to the Feathers Inn, which became a post office in 1908. Meanwhile, the lower end of Water Lane hosted structures tracing back to the early 19th Century – remnants of Collins’ Brewery that ceased trading and brewing around 1860.

In the late 1870s, a transformation turned a corner building into a pumping station for the new municipal waterworks. The well reached an impressive 1,447 feet below ground. Once part of the brewery, Riverside House became an engineer’s dwelling.

The pumping station’s role dwindled by 1931, and in 1967, electric booster pumps took over. They transported water from Hampton mains to Richmond Park reservoirs. The curtain fell in 1980 as the pumping station was retired.

Across the lane, Ellis & Co. Wine importers turned the former brewery buildings into a wine and beer store (what is now The Ivy).The northern side held a different story, from steam dye works to engineering workshops.

The lane maintains the long granite sets for cartwheels.