Know Your Place heritage festival

2026 festival

The 2026 Know Your Place Heritage Festival brings Richmond upon Thames to life through the stories, spaces and voices that shape our shared past.

This year’s programme invites residents and visitors to explore the borough from fresh angles. From the global journeys of Sir Richard Burton to the hidden gardens of Twickenham Park, from Hampton’s century of change to the creative reflections of young artists, there is something to discover at every turn.

Whether you are joining a local history salon, walking the riverside with expert guides, uncovering the story of your home, or redesigning the borough in Lego, the festival celebrates heritage as something living, local and often unexpected. It is an open invitation to discover how history is made, remembered and reimagined, and to find your own place within it.

View Know Your Place events

About the festival

Through a carefully curated programme of events, exhibitions, talks, walks, tours, and workshops, the Know Your Place heritage festival has celebrated and engaged residents and visitors with the borough's rich local history for over a decade. 

The festival aims to showcase the people and places that have shaped the vibrant cultural borough you can see today.  

Know Your Place is made possible due to the dedication and support of a wide range of local voluntary organisations, societies, and enthusiasts who generously share their passion and knowledge as well as their time. 

Aims

The festival aims to:

• Provide a high-quality events offer that sparks curiosity and ideally, further engagement with the Borough’s rich history
• Increase awareness and usage of Richmond’s Local Studies Library and Archive services
• Support the wellbeing of those who live, work, or visit Richmond upon Thames by fostering a sense of place
• Celebrate our shared local history, inspiring pride in the Borough’s people and places in the past, present, and future
• Maintain and develop effective partnerships with local heritage organisations which help to make Richmond upon Thames a vibrant community of cultural activity

Audience testimonials 

“I’ve lived in Hampton almost 40 years and learned quite a lot in tonight’s talk, thank you!” - Know Your Place, 2023

“A very enjoyable evening – learned a lot. So lucky to live in such a wonderfully rich in history borough.” - Know Your Place, 2023

Local history society events

Richmond upon Thames is lucky to have several local history societies that run local history talks and events throughout the year.

See their websites for more details:

• Barnes and Mortlake History Society - Covering Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen
• Richmond Local History Society - Covering Richmond, Kew, Petersham and Ham
• Borough of Twickenham Local History Society - Covering Twickenham, Whitton, Teddington and the Hamptons

Delve into Richmond’s past today

You don’t have to wait for the festival to learn about the history of your area. Visit the Local Studies Library and Archive where our friendly staff can show you how to use our collection of books and unique archival documents to discover what Richmond upon Thames was like in the past. You might be surprised by what you find!

Keep up to date

We will update this page as plans progress or you can sign up to our newsletter for updates.