Place Name
Literally the eastern part of Sheen, until it took its present name at the turn of the 16thCentury Richmond was called West Sheen. It is a widely held belief that the name is a reference to the gleaming white stone used to build Henry VII’s palace, at Richmond – it being a derivation of shining. However, this is a myth since the name can be traced back to Saxon times long before the palace was built. The manor was first referred to as Sceon in the mid-10thCentury coming from the Old English word scëon meaning sheds or shelters. The name went through several variations being Shenes sometime around 1210, Shene in 1230, Est Shenes in 1247, Estshene in 1258 and East Shyne in 1610. This road, along with Gilpin Avenue and Park Avenue, was part of the intensive development of former meadows, that began in 1896 following the sale of 50 acres of the Palewell estate.
