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Richmond
Richmond is an affluent suburb in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London.
The district sits on the south side of the River Thames opposite St. Margarets, but because of the way the river twists around it, Richmond Town is actually north-east of Richmond Bridge. It is very popular in summer with university rowing teams and tourists strolling along the bankside.
Richmond Park is the largest of the Royal Parks in London. The park covers almost 2,500 acres and is Europe's largest urban walled park. It contains the Isabella Plantation, an important and attractive woodand garden and a major visitor attraction in its own right.
There is a protected view of St Paul's Cathedral which is 12 miles away from King Henry VIII's Mound in the park. Pembroke Lodge stands within the park in its own gardens, originally a home of 1st Earl Russell but is now a restaurant. The Royal Ballet School has been based for many years in the park at White Lodge.
Herds of red and fallow deer roam freely within much of the park, there are about 650 deer in the park - 375 fallow and 275 red deer. The red deer are the larger animals, in the winter there coat is dark brown and thicker providing good insulation from the cold weather. The smaller fallow deer come in three different colours but the most common is a pale coat with distinctive spots. The fallow deer are the more nervous of the two, they defend themselves by forming a bunch. When alarmed they can move quickly, the decision to break and run is made by the lead doe. The red deer are far more likely to stand there ground. The hinds are particularly aggressive when they have young and often chase people away from the area where their claves are hiding.
Richmond Park is an important refuge for many other types of wildlife, including squirrels, rabbits, stag beetles and many other insects, numerous ancient trees, and many varieties of fungi.
Originally Richmond Park was used as the Royal deer hunting grounds of Edward I, the park was not enclosed until 1637. Public access to the park was secured in the 18th century after a protracted legal battle. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Park)
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