Everyone who’s anyone in the world of celebrity seems to either already live, or be hatching plans to move to, the same affluent corner of south-west London – but could one of its most famous stars soon be upping sticks and escaping the town nicknamed Celebrity-on-Thames?
Locals in Richmond, which boasts the country’s longest healthy life expectancy at 70 for men and 69 for women, are more than used to spotting famous faces shopping on its busy high street and strolling the Thames towpath.
Long-term residents in the upmarket enclave already include Sir David Attenborough, who marks his 100th birthday this week, Jerry Hall and Richard E Grant.
A host of celebrities have moved to the area in recent years. Tom Holland and Zendaya, stars of the Spider-Man films, are said to live on the fringes of 2,500-acre beauty spot Richmond park and The Thursday Murder Club author Richard Osman spent more than £8million on a townhouse with wife Ingrid last year.
Black Doves star Sarah Lancashire and husband Peter Salmon, pictured at Wimbledon in last year, have lived in Richmond for two decades but are said to now be relocating
In 2023 the couple were spotted browsing properties at a local estate agents but their home has now gone on the market for more than £3million
And the list goes on… with Jamie Dornan, Jane Horrocks, This Morning presenter Ben Shepherd, comedian Rob Brydon and new BBC Director General Matt Brittin also calling the well-to-do area home.
Could the town soon become a victim of its own success though? Already popular with tourists thanks to its riverside location and pretty green, Richmond has seen its profile raised dramatically by Apple TV series Ted Lasso.
Since first airing in 2020, the hit series has brought thousands of tourists to the narrow alleyway, Paved Court, just off the green, where US football coach Ted’s flat is situated in the series, as well as the nearby The Prince’s Head pub, which appears as The Crown and Anchor on screen – ensuring the area isn’t quite as peaceful as it once was.
Black Doves and Happy Valley star Sarah could be the first to swim against the celebrity tide and relocate elsewhere, after her five-bedroom property went on sale in March for more than £3million.
An exclusive neighbourhood with multi-million pound properties… but could Sarah Lancashire be the first celebrity to move out of Richmond?
Paved Court, a tiny street in the pretty south-west London area has been transformed since Apple TV show Ted Lasso, starring Brendan Hunt, left, and Jason Sudeikis, began using it as a key location
Following the show’s success, the tiny street where Ted lives, has become a tourist hotspot – with hundreds descending on sunny days
The British actress, 61, who first shot to fame as bar worker Raquel in Coronation Street, has enjoyed a quiet life in a secluded part of town for nearly two decades – but it seems the star is now on the look-out for a new home.
Lancashire’s career has soared in recent years, with roles in HBO series Julia and Netflix hit Black Doves, which also stars Keira Knightley, but the actress has remained in the the modest family home where she raised her youngest son, Joseph.
She is married to Peter Salmon, 69, chief creative officer for Endemol and one-time controller of BBC One, and the couple have six grown-up children between them.
They had previously listed their home a decade ago only to take it off the market again. And in 2023, the pair were spotted browsing a local estate agent – but it seems this time, the couple are serious about a new property.
Sir David Attenborough has often credited a low-key life in Richmond, his ‘favourite place on earth’, for his longevity.
The near centenarian has resided in the same relatively modest house, once shared with his late wife Jane and two children, Robert and Susan, on a quiet, leafy street just back from the River Thames for most of his adult life.
Sir David was actually born just up the road in Isleworth but grew up in Leicester, where his father was principal of the city’s university, before he settled into family life in Richmond.
His brother Richard, who died aged 90 in 2014, sold the property he’d lived in for more than half-a-century, Old Friars on Richmond Green, for £11.5million two years prior to his death.
Meanwhile, David, who’s travelled the globe as one of the world’s leading broadcasters on the natural world, has always maintained that nowhere beats the London borough he lives in.
WHERE TO SPOT A CELEBRITY IN RICHMOND
Zendaya and Tom Holland walking in Richmond Deer Park in 2024, with their black miniature schnauzer Noon
Richmond Deer Park: The historic park, once a hunting ground for Henry VIII, is the largest of London’s Royal Parks at around 1,000 hectares, making it the perfect green space to get lost in.
Petersham Nurseries: This ‘rustic chic’ garden centre with a cafe and fancy restaurant in Petersham Meadows has been a favourite with residents since it opened in 1997 – and is the perfect spot to have a quiet cup of English tea while avoiding prying eyes.
The Open Book: Chains don’t thrive in the riverside town, with locals preferring independents. Richard Osman recently shared online that he’d signed copies of his novels at ‘gorgeous independent bookshop’, The Open Book, on King Street.
A pint at The Roebuck: With river views to die for, this 300-year-old pub, is a popular haunt with famous faces in Richmond Hill
The Roebuck: A Richmond Hill pub with the same spectacular vista that Mick Jagger once admired at Downe House, The Roebuck sees plenty of famous faces propping up the bar – although not on the weekends, when it is inundated with tourists.
The Teddington Cheese: An indie cheese shop on Hill Rise that enjoyed a starring role in Peter Rabbit 2. Discerning celebrities might stop by to pick up one of 130 artisan cheeses.
In 2013, he explained why, saying: ‘Partly because I live there, partly because my friends and family are there.
‘London has fine museums, the British Library is one of the greatest library institutions in the world… It’s got everything you want, really.
‘The climate suits me, and London has the greatest serious music that you can hear any day of the week in the world – you think it’s going to be Vienna or Paris or somewhere, but if you go to Vienna or Paris and say, “Let’s hear some good music”, there isn’t any.’
In the twilight of his life though, his beloved adopted town is changing significantly, with celebrities galore moving in, and tourists heading to the town in pursuit of Ted Lasso photo opportunities.
Another Richard – Richard E. Grant – has also enjoyed Richmond life for decades, and still lives in the Georgian home he bought with his late wife Joan Washington.
This Morning presenter Ben Shephard and his wife Annie purchased a £3.5million ten-bedroom mansion, a former ecclesiastical residence a stone’s throw from the Thames, last year after selling their previous home in the area.
Actress Jane Horrocks, most famous for her role as Bubbles in Absolutely Fabulous, is regularly seen shopping on bustling George Street in the town.
Matt Brittin, the new Director general of the BBC lives up the road in Teddington, with other famous faces from the broadcasting world, including Charlie Stayt and Greg Dyke living in Twickenham.
House prices in the area average out at nearly £900,000, compared to around £300,000 for the rest of the UK.
One local recently told the Daily Mail: ‘There are lots of celebrities living in Richmond, but not many of us have spotted Tom and Zendaya yet.
‘Most people don’t bat an eyelid when a famous face strolls through the town – they generally go unnoticed.’
