History
2021 was the centenary year of the granting of the Royal Warrant to the land comprising the Royal Paddocks Allotments.
The land was granted by Royal Warrant in the twelfth year of the reign of King George V, on 30th June 1921, for use as allotments by “the labouring classes of Hampton Wick and South Teddington”.
Certain conditions for the use of the land were laid down: the ground should not be used for any other purpose than as allotments; no labourer should have more ground than he (sic) could cultivate himself in leisure hours; no building or structure of any description may be erected on any allotment.
As the name implies, the ground, which is at the easternmost end of Bushy Park, was previously used as paddocks for the king’s horses, and is enclosed by the walls of the park. Unlike another allotment site on royal land in Hampton Hill, the Royal Paddocks are not administered by the London Borough of Richmond, but are run by two committees:
The Plotholders’ Committee: comprising up to fourteen tenants who manage the day-to-day affairs of the site;
The Management Committee: composed of tenants and local councilors who set the rents and liaise with outside bodies.
Annual rent for the use of the land was once paid to the Master of the Horse at the Royal Mews, though this is now done through the local authority.
The following historical documents are available for download as PDF* documents. Click to download:
The latest constitution can be found under Regulations.
*Most computers already have a PDF reader installed. If you do not, you may download the Adobe reader here.
If you have more information about the history of these allotments, please email:
website@rpa.org.uk