Bingham Riverhouse

The hotel consists of two adjoining Georgian townhouses that were built in 1740 and previously owned by Katherine Bradley and her niece Edith Cooper who published poetry under the pseudonym Michael Field. The couple would entertain many of London’s literary figures in the house and many of the hotel rooms are named after their poems.

From the outside, it is a plain-looking three-storey brick building but it is a different story once you get inside.

The hotel rooms all have big handmade beds, a work desk, a flat-screen television and en suite bathrooms with walk-in monsoon showers. The River Rooms are larger and have the best views in the house. They also feature copper bathtubs from Catchpole & Rye.

The smallest rooms start at 9.5m² (102 sq ft) and the largest room is 19m² (204 sq ft).

It was recently closed for a major refurbishment by celebrated interior designer Nicola Harding with the hotel reopening in early 2019. The renovation resulted in a hotel with the charm of a large country house. For the most part, the rooms have a more minimalist Scandinavian design aesthetic while the public areas have a more rustic country feel to them.

As it is a relatively small hotel with only 15 guest rooms, there is not much in the way of facilities outside your rooms other than a lounge/bar area, the hotel’s restaurant and the lovely rear garden that backs onto the River Thames. Guests can borrow bikes to explore the local area and they can also take yoga and fitness classes at a nearby wellness centre that is a five-minute walk away.

The hotel restaurant is popular with Richmond locals and focuses on modern British cuisine prepared with seasonal local produce. Like the hotel, the restaurant is not particularly cheap but it is a great spot for a splurge.

The Bingham Riverhouse is pricey for a hotel in the suburbs but then, it is also considerably fancier than your average suburban hotel.

Although it has a delightful riverside location, it is not particularly convenient as a base for exploring London. The River Thames is right on your doorstep and Richmond Park is a 12-minute walk from the hotel; it is the largest of London’s Royal Parks and home to herds of red and fallow deer. Richmond’s bars, cafes, restaurants and shops are all within a five to 15-minute walk from the hotel.

It is a 15-minute walk to Richmond station (in zone four) so the walk to the station will add an extra half-hour to your return commute into Central London. The station is served both by the tube (the District line), Overground trains to Stratford and regular suburban trains to London Waterloo. There are 12 trains per hour to London Waterloo, the fastest of these will take you to Waterloo in just 20 minutes. The District line will take you to the South Kensington museums in 24 minutes.