Richmond upon Thames

§ This page gives an overview of the Richmond upon Thames local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.

Overview ⁞ Richmond upon Thames is a scenic southwest London borough and the only one to span both sides of the River Thames. It is famous for Richmond Park, Kew Gardens, and its historic riverside towns, attracting both residents and visitors seeking green surroundings.

The administrative boundary of Richmond upon Thames can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Richmond upon Thames.

Map of Richmond upon Thames
Administrative Boundary of Richmond upon Thames (Local Authority District)

Key Facts about Richmond upon Thames

What region is Richmond upon Thames in? Richmond upon Thames is in the Greater London, an administrative region and a ceremonial county in England.

Is Richmond upon Thames a city? No, Richmond upon Thames is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)

Who governs Richmond upon Thames? The local government for this district is: The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (London Borough).

▶ Official website of The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 🔗 richmond.gov.uk

Website of The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Website of The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (captured on 2025-09-20)

Which police force covers Richmond upon Thames? Policing in Richmond upon Thames is provided by Metropolitan Police Service 🔗 met.police.uk, which serves 32 London Boroughs.

Richmond upon Thames in International Geographies

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Richmond upon Thames is within an ITLs Level 3 area:

  1. (ITL 1) London
  2. (ITL 2) ⇒ Outer London - West and North West
  3. (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames

The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.

This district page, Richmond upon Thames, is a sub-page of this region page: London. It zooms in to local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, and provides a list of wards in this district. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK local authority districts: List of Local Authority Districts.

Constituencies in Richmond upon Thames

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 75 of them are in Greater London (covering 32 London boroughs). We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.

Wards in Richmond upon Thames

Richmond upon Thames is divided into 18 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Barnes
  • East Sheen
  • Fulwell & Hampton Hill
  • Ham, Petersham & Richmond Riverside
  • Hampton
  • Hampton North
  • Hampton Wick & South Teddington
  • Heathfield
  • Kew
  • Mortlake & Barnes Common
  • North Richmond
  • South Richmond
  • South Twickenham
  • St Margarets & North Twickenham
  • Teddington
  • Twickenham Riverside
  • West Twickenham
  • Whitton

In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.

Parishes in Richmond upon Thames

Richmond upon Thames is entirely unparished—there are no civil parishes in this local authority district.

Parishes are the lowest tier of local government; where they don’t exist, those very local services and representation sit directly with the principal council.

Built-up Areas in Richmond upon Thames

Richmond upon Thames covers 6 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Hounslow *
  • Kingston upon Thames *
  • Richmond upon Thames *
  • Sunbury-on-Thames *
  • Wandsworth *
  • West Molesey *

In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Richmond upon Thames.)

Richmond upon Thames compared with other districts in the UK

This section shows how Richmond upon Thames compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.

Richmond upon Thames has 18 electoral wards.

Richmond upon Thames compared with other districts
Smaller: 98  Similar: 51  Larger: 212 (compared with 361 districts)

Richmond upon Thames has a population of 196,678 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)

Population of Richmond upon Thames compared with other districts
Population of Richmond upon Thames, compared with other districts in England and Wales

More local statistics and data for Richmond upon Thames can be found on the ONS statistics for Richmond upon Thames.