Ham House sits on the south bank of the Thames about a mile and a half south of Richmond, and is one of the best-preserved 17th-century interiors in England. Built in the early 1600s and enlarged and redecorated by the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale in the 1670s, it retains an exceptional collection of original furniture, textiles, and paintings from that period. The formal gardens, restored to their 1670s layout, include a cherry garden, a wilderness (formal clipped hedging rather than wilderness in the modern sense), and parterres.
The walk to Ham House along the Thames towpath from Richmond is one of the pleasures of the area — about 40 minutes at a comfortable pace, through Petersham Meadows and past grazing cattle within sight of the London suburbs. Ham House is managed by the National Trust; entry requires a ticket or National Trust membership.