First protected view in London

So our day started in Coffee Plant on the portobello road with latte and a shared chocolate croissant. From there we took the tube to Hammersmith and changed line to go to Richmond.

We walked up Richmond Hill with beautiful views down to the Thames, see extras and then walked through Richmond park to Henry’s Mound to see this view which is kept clear and with binoculars you can see St. Paul’s cathedral! Initially we were looking the wrong way but a very nice young man told us where to look!

Following that we walked down to Ham House which was built in 1610 and is still substantially the same today, kept by the National Trust. First call there was lunch, soup for me and coffee and shortbread for Jane.

We then went in the house which was extensive with beautiful flowers from the garden in vases around the place. The one major change that took place was in the 1760s when the lady of the house added a bathroom below her bedroom which was a round tub in which she sat with hot water around her feet and the cover was drawn up around her neck and she gently steamed, more like a sauna really! It is considered to be the first bathroom in Britain. She also had a bath house for the servants to use. She was considered a real beauty apart from her red hair!