Orleans House Gallery
What Visitors Say
Lovely little gallery with gift shop next to the river Thames near Twickenham. Pub and children’s playground and areas to picnic or sit nearby. Very picturesque.
Beautiful stately building with a glorious octagon room and art exhibit highlighting mankind's relationshio with nature and the importance of sustainability, consciousness and conscienciousness. The venue can be hired for weddings and events, and is free to visit. I recommend pairing this with a lovely local walk along the Thames path. Thank you!
Beautiful place to spend hours relaxing. The nature that surrounds the place makes everything more magical. Great place to take photos and videos, spend a nice day with your family or friends. The nearby park is immense. The gallery inside the structure is very pleasant to visit. Free entry I went to visit it on June 5th, it was beautiful because being the last day of the jubilee I found so many beautiful people. I will definitely come again. Leo.
Lovely space for the children to experience and play plus it's free. It is also surrounded by woodland that also has interactive experience for the children as well. Which is equally great for the little ones who also love the outdoors. The staff are friendly and polite and very helpful. It is just a pleasure to experience a lovely environment. For children to equally relax and play. You also have the river as well as little places to eat the Orleans House gallery has a lovely little cafe outside with outside seats as well and there's a play area for children opposite the House gallery.
Wow, hidden gem! Walking in from the Thames riverside footpath, couldn’t find it at first. ..then we stumbled upon a moderately sized garden with lots of seating, flowering plants and ornamental trees surrounded by low walling then this beautiful building – check out the ornate Baroque Octagon Room, has interesting architectural details. The gallery itself is not too far, about 12mins walk from Richmond bridge and town centre. The gallery presents a year-round programme of exhibitions, live events and short courses, a wild wood to explore, a shop and the Stables Café serving delicious treats in the courtyard. Entry to the gallery is free.
Highlights
The Octagon Room
A rare intact James Gibbs interior—architectural theatre in miniature.Eight sides, tall windows and gilded detail turn daylight into a performance.
Main house fragment, signed route from entrance
Stables & Site Story
What you see is just the tip—the mansion was largely demolished in 1926.Plans and photos sketch the lost house and why the Octagon survived.
Stables Gallery and intro displays
River & Woodland Loop
Landscape is half the visit—architecture framed by tide and trees.A short loop ties art-viewing to bird-spotting and boat-watching.
Thames Path and Orleans Gardens
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
The Octagon Room was designed by James Gibbs in 1720; most of the mansion was demolished two centuries later, leaving the Octagon and outbuildings.
The exiled future French king Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, lived here in the early 19th century—hence the site’s name.
The gallery can host weddings inside the Octagon—baroque geometry meets modern confetti.
