East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its long high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic hub for Mortlake of which East Sheen was once a manor. This commercial thoroughfare, well served by public transport, is the Upper Richmond Road West which connects Richmond to Putney. Central to this street is The Triangle, a traffic island with a war memorial and an old milestone dating from 1751, marking the 10 mi distance to Cornhill in the City of London. The main railway station serving the area, Mortlake, is centred 300 m north of this. Sheen has a mixture of low-rise and mid-rise buildings and it has parks and open spaces including its share of Richmond Park, accessed via Sheen Gate; Palewell Common, which has a playground, playing fields, tennis courts and a pitch and putt course; and East Sheen Common which is owned by the National Trust and leads into Bog Gate, another gate of Richmond Park.

Etymology

The earliest recorded use of the name is c. 950 as Sceon and means shed or shelters. The area was designated separately from Sheen (an earlier name for Richmond) from the 13th century, as the southern manor of Mortlake.

Local politics

East Sheen is in the Richmond Park constituency. The Member of Parliament is Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats. Every four years, residents elect three councillors to Richmond upon Thames Council. East Sheen was traditionally a safe Conservative ward, but in the 2022 elections three Liberal Democrats were elected.

History

Manor and hamlet status

East Sheen was a hamlet in the parish of Mortlake: "East-Sheen is a pleasant hamlet in this parish, situated on a rising ground considerably above the level of the river. It contains about ninety houses. Here are several handsome villas; the vicinity to Richmond-park, and the beauty of the surrounding country, making it a desirable situation."

• 'Mortlake', The Environs of London 1792 Earliest references specifically to the present area of land, rather than references to parts of Mortlake, emerge in the 13th century, generally under its early name of Westhall. Originally one carucate, it was sold in 1473 by Michael Gaynsford and Margaret his wife in the right of Margaret to William Welbeck, citizen and haberdasher, of London. The Welbecks held it until selling in 1587. Later owners of what remained, the Whitfields, Juxons and Taylors were equally not titled, as with Mortlake's manorial owners, nor had an above average size or lavish manor house.

Development of the Temple Grove, Palmerston country estate

The southern estate of Temple Grove, East Sheen, first belonged to Sir Abraham Cullen, who was created a baronet in 1661. He died in 1668, and his first son Sir John in 1677. His second son Sir Rushout Cullen seems to have sold the estate shortly afterwards to Sir John Temple, attorney-general of Ireland, brother to Sir William Temple, diplomat and author, who was earlier of adjoining West Sheen, giving the home his name. It belonged to the Temples until Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, who later would serve as Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister, sold it soon after coming of age in 1805. It was bought by Sir Thomas Bernard, who rebuilt the Jacobean style front of the house shown in a drawing hung in the house of 1611. Sir Thomas sold it about 1811 to Rev. William Pearson who founded the Temple Grove Preparatory School for boys. The school moved in 1907 to Eastbourne and the estate was given over to house and apartment builders.

Administration

East Sheen was included in the Metropolitan Police District in 1840. Before 1900, Mortlake developed a secular vestry to help administer poor relief, maintain roads, ditches and other affairs. From 1892 to 1894 Mortlake (including East Sheen) formed part of the expanded Municipal Borough of Richmond. In 1894, nearby North Sheen was created as a civil parish, being split off from Mortlake and remaining in the Municipal Borough of Richmond. The remainder of Mortlake (including East Sheen) was instead transferred to the Barnes Urban District, which became the Municipal Borough of Barnes in 1932. In 1965 North Sheen was incorporated into Kew which, with the rest of the Municipal Borough of Richmond, joined the Municipal Borough of Twickenham and the Municipal Borough of Barnes to form the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

Economy

East Sheen concentrates its commercial area to the main through street: its long high street has transport/furniture/hardware shops, convenience services, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic hub for Mortlake of which East Sheen was once a manor. This wide-footpath street is the Upper Richmond Road West which connects Richmond to Putney. Central to this street is The Triangle, a tree-lined traffic island with a war memorial and an old milestone at the intersection of Upper Richmond Road West with Sheen Lane. The main railway station serving the area, Mortlake, is centred 300m north of this.

Churches

East Sheen lies in the ecclesiastical parish of Mortlake with East Sheen. In addition to the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin the district has two daughter churches: Christ Church, and All Saints. Christ Church, situated near the crossroads of Christchurch Road and West Temple Sheen, was built by Arthur Blomfield on land formerly part of a farm at the entrance to Sheen Common in the 1860s. It was originally planned to be opened in April 1863; however, the tower collapsed shortly before completion and had to be rebuilt. The church was finally completed and consecrated nine months later, on 13 January 1864. All Saints was built on land bequeathed under the will of Major Shepherd-Cross, MP for Bolton who lived at nearby Palewell Lodge from 1896 until his death in 1913. The church was consecrated on All Saints' Day 1929, a year and two days after the foundation stone was laid by Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother). East Sheen has two other churches: East Sheen Baptist Church and Parkside Christian Centre. East Sheen has no separate Roman Catholic church; the church of St Mary Magdalen Mortlake and Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Richmond also serve East Sheen.

Other notable features

There is a Grade II-listed air raid shelter, dating from before the Second World War, at St Leonard's Court, a block of flats on St Leonard's Road, near Mortlake railway station.

Notable residents

Living people

Historical figures

18th century

19th century

20th and 21st centuries

Education

Schools in the area include: Richmond Park Academy; Tower House Boys' Preparatory School, a small independent prep-school for boys aged 4–13; East Sheen Primary School, a state school on Upper Richmond Road West; Sheen Mount School, a state primary school on West Temple; and Thomson House School, located on Vernon Road.

Transport

The area is served by Mortlake railway station, which is 300m north of The Triangle and can be accessed from Sheen Lane. Transport for London bus routes are 33, 337 and 493 which serve Upper Richmond Road West.

Demography and housing

East Sheen in art

The Triangle in East Sheen is the subject of a painting, The Triangle, Sheen Lane, East Sheen, Surrey by James Isaiah Lewis (1861–1934), which is in the Richmond upon Thames Borough Art Collection and is held at Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham.