Richmond Upon Thames Through Time

Author : Richard Garnett
Publisher : Forgotten Books
ISBN 13 : 9780331881943
Total Pages : 122 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (819 download)

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Download or read book Richmond on the Thames (Classic Reprint) written by Richard Garnett and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-11-24 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Richmond on the Thames Not wholly in the busy world, nor quite Beyond it, blooms the garden that I love. These lines of the poet express the sentiment which has always guided monarchs, statesmen, and others engaged in the practical business of the world, in the selection of retreats from the cares of government and business. Hence some of the most delightful spots on earth are found in the Vicinity of great cities, where taste has taken advantage of natural beauty, and converted fields and woods into parks and gardens. It may be, however, that the world has now seen almost the last of such firm in uree. Two causes militate strongly against their perpetuation - the vast increase in the dimensions of modern cities, so infinitely beyond anything that could have been anticipated in past ages, and the still less expected acceleration of the means of transit, which now enables recreation to be sought at considerable distances without relaxing the sovereign's or the statesman's hold upon public affairs. Henry VII., the second founder of Richmond and the bestower of its present appellation, had a palace at Greenwich also. No place could have seemed more appropriate for the residence of the sovereign of a great marine state, on the way to be the first sea - power in the world; and there, in fact, Queen Elizabeth by preference received foreign ambassadors. By the time of Charles II., however, residence there had become impossible even to a less pleasure - loving sovereign, and only the happy thought of Nell Gwynne (if it was hers) has preserved Greenwich as an object of national pride and interest. Richmond has suffered less. It will appear from the following pages how the creation of the park, and of the gardens of the adjacent Kew, while in a measure encouraging residence, have protected it from being utterly swamped by suburban extension and merely utilitarian encroachments. Yet its royal days are over; its warmest admirers must acknowledge that the Sovereign is more fitly established at Windsor, and that, should any change occur, it will rather be in the direction of greater remoteness from, than closer proximity to the capital. Its destiny in the future is that of a retreat and playground for the people, especially for the metropolis, and great will be their shame and loss if they suffer it to be spoiled either by the sinister interests or the meddlesome interference which are always conspiring against the beautiful. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.