Age UK Richmond - Alexander Pope Talk
Twickenham Wellbeing Centre - Age UK Richmond upon Thames - Twickenham Wellbeing Centre, Arragon Road, Twickenham, UK
In this illustrated talk, historian Ricky Pound will examine the celebrated 18th-century poet Alexander Pope, including his life, villa, grotto, and garden at Twickenham.
After Pope moved to Twickenham in 1719, he constructed a villa along the Thames and sought to connect two plots of land separated by Cross Deep Road. To accomplish this, Pope had built an underground tunnel, later enhanced with minerals and semi-precious stones to form a grotto, which attracted visitors such as French philosopher Voltaire, author Samuel Johnson, American politician Thomas Jefferson, and artist Sir Joshua Reynolds, who served as President of the Royal Academy.
Ricky Pound will also discuss the symbolism found in Joseph Mallord William Turner’s painting ‘Pope’s Villa in Twickenham,’ which is interpreted as expressing Turner's enraged response to the villa’s demolition in 1808.
Ricky Pound is an experienced Visitor Operations Manager of historic properties in west London. Between 1998 and 2014 he was the Site Manager for English Heritage of Lord Burlington’s Neo-Classical villa at Chiswick and between 2011 and 2014 he managed Marble Hill House with its 66-acre park. Between 2018 and 2021 Ricky was House Director of the artist Joseph Mallord William Turner’s suburban villa in Twickenham. In November 2022 Ricky joined The Twickenham Museum as House Manager. Ricky is also an original trustee of the London Luminaries. In 2025 Ricky additionally joined the Pope’s Grotto Preservation Trust as its Outreach and Volunteers Manager.
Please book your place, ideally online over the Yapsody ticketing platform. Alternatively you can contact Jayne on 020 8538 9254, email jayne.fanning@ageukrichmond.org.uk or see staff at your Age UK Richmond social centre.
If this event sells out online, please contact Jayne to go on the waiting list or to hear about future talks.
