White Lodge, Richmond Park, London

The annual Open House London weekend provides an opportunity to see buildings in the city which have significant architectural value but which are not normally open to the public. Admission is usually free. The 2012 event will be held Sept. 22-23.

During the September 2011 event, I was able to visit White Lodge in Richmond Park and learned that visits to part of the lodge are possible throughout the year on certain days of the week by prior arrangement through the Royal Ballet School (phone +44 020 8392 8440, e-mail museum@royalballetschool.co.uk), which now occupies the building.

Whilst this visit is only to the Museum & Ballet Resource Centre, it does give you a rare opportunity to get a close-up of this magnificent building and to see some of the old interior.

Completed in 1729, the original White Lodge building, in the English Palladian style, was a favored retreat of George II and Queen Caroline. The lodge has remained Crown Property to this day and has been occupied mainly by members of the Royal Family.

The mother of the present Queen, Elizabeth II, was in residence there when Elizabeth was born, but she moved out a few years later. It was then in private occupancy until the Royal Ballet School was granted a long lease in 1955. Whilst there have been numerous developments and extensions to the property over the years, the original building is still clearly definable.

The fact that White Lodge is set in the middle of a royal park which is open to the public makes it somewhat unsuitable for royal occupancy these days. Richmond Park, itself, has much to offer visitors, but you really need to go there by car unless you are a serious walker or are prepared to hire a bicycle from near Roehampton Gate. The tarmac road within the park is probably nine miles long and the walking/cycling path even longer.

The park is home to around 1,000 deer (red and fallow) and other wildlife. It contains some specially managed areas of enclosed gardens, refreshment facilities and an excellent self-service restaurant/café, Pembroke Lodge.

Pembroke Lodge is open throughout the year and is another imposing, late-18th-century building in beautifully maintained gardens with magnificent views over Surrey to the south and to central London to the north (from King Henry’s Mound). Coffee on the terrace, with its extensive views, is a delight on a pleasant day.

If you want further details, just contact by e-mail c/o ITN). My wife and I live within a few miles of the park and might be able to help over transport if you will not be renting a car. (Leave a short message with your home number; I can call back free of charge through a deal with the phone company.)

PAT ERRICKER
West Wimbledon, London, England