The Orange Tree Public House
The Orange Tree Public House.
Image credit: © Ewan Munro from London, UK.
CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>
45 Kew Road, the site of the Orange Tree Pub, has been home to some sort of hostelry since 1708. The current building dates to 1897 and is easily identified by its polychrome brickwork, a style admired by the late Victorians. Its name references an orange tree allegedly brought to Britain by Young the brewer, celebrated in the design of its tree-shaped railings on the top floor.
A Horse Bus outside the Orange Tree Public House, c. 1910.
Image credit: © Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Library and Archive, LCF/13185.
The pub was not unused to groups gathering in its vicinity. It was the site of petty sessions (local courts) throughout the 1800s and often the meeting point of hunting parties, sporting groups and political activists. The pub's proximity to Richmond train station (both current and former sites) lent itself to congregations. In the 1930s, it was one of several open-air meeting spots used regularly by fascist speakers.
The pub’s theatrical leanings were made apparent in 1943 when it hosted the first of a ‘very well attended’ monthly assembly of amateur dramatic societies.