Barnes is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is inside the north east of the borough and is positioned 9.3 km west south west of Charing Cross.
Barnes has numerous 1700s and 19th century buildings in the streets close to Barnes Pond, which make up Barnes Village conservation area exactly where the majority of the mid-19th century buildings sit. On the east riverside, there is the WWT London Wetland Centre which adjoins many fields for three main national team sports.
The town used to be part of Surrey, and it appears within the Domesday book as ‘Berne’. Barnes’ village church was built between 1100 and 1150 and named the Chapel of St Mary’s. It was extended in the early 13th century, and was added to once more in 1786. A large fire destroyed components of the extensions to the chapel in 1978, so restoration work was done in 1984.
Barnes includes a great deal of sporting history spanning decades. In football, a High Master of St Paul’s School, Richard Mulcaster, is recognised with turning mob football into a refereed team sport. The school sits on Lonsdale Road, but at the time of Mulcaster it was situated in St Paul’s Cathedral. The town features a non-league football team referred to as Stonewall FC, who play at Barn Elms Playing Fields.
Barnes Rugby Club is assumed to be the oldest club in the world in any football code. They play next to the WWT London Wetlands Centre. The town is also known for rowing; the loop of the Thames surrounding Barnes is part of the Championship Course employed for the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.