London Borough of Richmond upon Thames: History
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was established in 1965 as a result of the London Government Act 1963. The new borough was created by the merger of three boroughs. These were the Municipal Borough of Richmond and the Municipal Borough of Barnes, situated south of the Thames which was, until 1965, part of Surrey; and the Municipal Borough of Twickenham on the northern, Middlesex bank of the Thames. In this way it is the only London borough to straddle the River Thames.
The Municipal Borough of Richmond was created in 1890. It was enlarged in 1892 to include Kew, Petersham and North Sheen, and again in 1933 to include Ham. The Municipal Borough of Barnes was established in 1894 and the Municipal Borough of Twickenham in 1926.
The area of these three boroughs was transferred to the new Greater London, to become one of its 32 London boroughs. The larger new borough was named "Richmond upon Thames" rather than just Richmond as the old borough had been. Minor boundary changes have occurred since its creation. The most significant amendments were made in 1994 and 1995, when areas of Richmond Park were transferred from the London Borough of Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.