We decided to stay in Richmond since it would be less crowded than central London, but also because we’re big fans of Ted Lasso (the TV show). Richmond is part of London, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. We stayed at NOX Richmond, which was right on the Thames.
We spent the evening exploring Richmond, including Paved Court (which you would see every time Ted Lasso entered or left his apartment) and The Princes Head (the pub featured in Ted Lasso).
We absolutely loved Richmond. It’s a cute little area with plenty of shops and restaurants, and a relatively short tube ride into central London. Yes, taking the tube (or a cab/Uber) added a bit of time both coming and going, but not fighting the crowds was worth it. Plus, it was much quieter than central London.
Ted Lasso
If you’ve watched Ted Lasso, you’ll be somewhat familiar with Richmond. Although there’s not an actual football (soccer) club in Richmond (they invented one for the show, with the stadium scenes shot at Selhurst Park, home of the Premier League team Crystal Palace), there are plenty of other sites you will recognize.
Paved Court
Paved Court is where Ted Lasso has an apartment in the show. You’ll recognize it from anytime he enters or leaves his apartment. I was a bit jetlagged when we were taking photos our first night there, and didn’t read my notes carefully. Ted’s apartment in the show is a made-up number “9 1/2” Paved Court, which doesn’t exist. So, I took a picture of 9 Paved Court. Just in the left of the photo you’ll see 11a Paved Court. That’s the exterior they actually used as Ted’s apartment! So, I did technically get it in a photo, just not the whole thing. What makes this blunder worse is I had in my notes to shoot 11a, not 9. Oh, well.
The Princes Head
If you watch Ted Lasso, you are very familiar with the pub. In the show, however, it’s called the Crown and Anchor. The real pub used in show is actually The Princes Head. The good news for visitors: it’s a nice pub! We had dinner there our first night, and it was delicious. The pub dates back to 1705, although it’s gone through a couple name changes (as the photo above of its history will show). As soon as we stepped through the door, we were transported to the Crown and Anchor, thanks in part to the A.F.C. Richmond memorabilia and the familiar layout. In the interior photo above, at the far end, just to the right, is the infamous dartboard where arguably the best scene in the show took place. (If you know, you know…)
Richmond Green
Another staple of the Ted Lasso show is Richmond Green. Many episodes show Ted walking to work through the Green, often times playing a bit of football (soccer) with the locals as he strolls through. These photos were taken our first morning in Richmond. I took some the night before, but the lack of lights on the Green made them very un-interesting.
More Richmond
We spent the rest of our first night exploring Richmond. We had a few other evenings in Richmond as well, but really enjoyed our first night with no agenda other than exploring. There was a restaurant on a boat (Peggy Jean at Riverside Green), a statue of Virginia Woolfe sitting on a bench, some angel wings, another pub (The Old Ship), and lots of Christmas lights.
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