Coombe Conduit

This is fenced off from main road & only accessible every second Sunday April to Oct. The volunteers are very knowledgeable about the building. This is really for history buffs, you are shown 4 small chambers linked by a small tunnel which makes it feel cramped. It's slightly damp & there is some moulds and mosses in the chambers that house the wells. Curiosity made me go as I've passed it for many years & to find it supplied water to Hampton Court Palace was a surprise considering the distance between them. The history & engineering involved in the two buildings I found interesting, you should allow an hour for the tour by the guide & there are cards placed explaining some of the workings and history. If you park in Crown Road you'll be pretty much opposite the conduit.

Very small but interesting. The tour guides where all lovely and knew what they were talking about. Takes around 30 mins to look around. Great family activity before Sunday lunch.

Well worth the visit. Very educational, I had no idea they had the technology to run pipes through a river in those days. Extraordinarily knowledgeable tour guides , very welcoming hosts and didn't mind the children hanging about. Parking is a little limited nearby, the bus might be best if you are based in Kingston.
Beware the short opening times though. It really is only.one day a month and only April to September, so plan in advance. It wasn't too busy when we went on the September day

Just south of Richmond, Coombe Conduit features two Tudor buildings connected by an underground passageway. For 350 years, they were part of a system that collected local spring water and channeled it over to Hampton Court Palace.

Coombe Conduit is one of three such systems that supplied the palace’s water. The buildings that remain today are fascinating remnants of Tudor waterworks.

It may be small, but if you have a spare 20mins on one of the days it's open and are in the area, it's an interesting little place to pop along to! The volunteers are great at explaining how the water used to travel here from nearby springs, and be naturally purified, before making the 3-mile journey to Hampton Court Palace.

Extremely historic building. Supplied clean water to Hampton Court Palace. 1530.

Fascinating if you like Tudor history. This is the centre of water collection on Coombe Hill, channelling several springs to a central reservoir. From here it used to feed into two lead pipes which ran down the hill, under Norbiton Station, through a Kingston and across the river bed to Hampton Court. Around three miles distant. Nice use of Tudor Brick for the two well houses joined by an underground tunnel. Not much to it but nice to see. Only open on one day a month, second Sunday of each from April to September. Free entry and usually not too busy.

Interesting place but opening hours are very specific. The second Sunday of every month from March - September