The manor of “Sheene” was owned by the Crown in the 12th century. The manor house was renamed Sheen Palace in the 14th century. The palace burnt down in Henry VII’s reign. He rebuilt it and renamed it “Richmond Palace”. (Henry VII was formerly the Earl of Richmond in Yorkshire.)

Sheen is the strip of streets on either side of Upper Richmond Road West. “The Royals”, the streets named King’s Road, Princes Road and Queens Road between South Worple Way and Upper Richmond Road West, contain cottages much like the brewers cottages in the Little Chelsea area of Barnes further east. Further west, there are Edwardian houses in Vernon Road and the roads off it, such as Thornton Road. Little St Leonard’s and The Byeway contain large Victorian houses. On the other side of Sheen Lane, the streets south of St Leonard’s Road contain a mixture of Edwardian and Victorian houses in streets such as Homesdale Avenue and Carlton Road.