Richmond Park is by far the largest of the Royal Parks. All the other royal parks could fit into it. It is owned by the Crown but now managed by the Royal Parks Charity. It is well known history that King Charles I built Richmond Park for it to become a favoured hunting ground. To achieve this he acquired local land in what were then Mortlake, Ham and Roehampton. Compensation was paid but many local landowners were not happy.
Charles I stocked the Park with 2,000 red and fallow deer. In 1637 he built a brick wall eight miles long to keep them in. BUT for royalty it had the additional benefit of making it easy to keep local residents out. He did permit some right of pedestrian access, a ladder over the wall. Ladderstile Gate is a monument to his generosity.
When Charles I exited the stage the Park was given to the City of London and then restored to Charles II in 1760. Various Rangers were granted responsibility thereafter, with a title reflected in the Volunteers who work in the Park today.
Princess Amelia Sophia Eleonore of Great Britain, born in Hanover in 1711, was the second daughter of King George II. She moved to England with her family when her grandfather became King George I in 1714, to live in St. James’s Palace. Her father became King George II in 1727. At the age of 77 he died, having lived longer than any of his English or British predecessors. Thus it was that in 1760 he was succeeded by his grandson King George III, whose father Frederick William had died in 1751.
In 1751 she became Chief Ranger of Richmond Park. Immediately afterwards, the Princess caused major public uproar by closing the park to the public, only allowing few close friends and those with special permits to enter.
This continued until 1758, when a local brewer, John Lewis, took the gatekeeper, who stopped him from entering the park, to court. The court ruled in favour of Lewis, citing the fact that, when Charles I enclosed the park in the 17th century, he allowed the public right of way in the park. Princess Amelia was forced to lift the restrictions.
They are not happy precedents.
The Royal Parks Charity is a Crown Agency. It is not a democratic institution. It is just as it was in the 17th and 18th centuries. The community relies on its goodwill. Its ‘values’ are developed in consultation with its staff.
Its first charitable objects to protect, conserve, maintain and care for the Royal Parks, including their natural and designed landscapes and built environment, to a high standard consistent with their
historic, horticultural, environmental and architectural importance. Can that charitable objective be achieved without policing?
Is the Board of Trustees using its influence in respect of this matter? Should we know what discussions there have been between the Board and the Met or are they being held behind closed doors.
