Place Name
Originally part of the much longer Church Way which wend its way through agricultural fields from St Mary Magdalene, Richmond, Church, to Lancaster Park with a branch to the ferry (today’s Ormond Road). This was originally part of an estate created by Nathaniel Rawlings, a member of the Haberdashers’ Company, who consolidated three acres between Red Lion Street and the Vineyard on which he built Clarence House between 1694 and 1696. As part of his improvements he had the right of way diverted to the east slightly at its south end to make room for a more respectable forecourt. Since he hadn’t asked for permission, the unimpressed members of Richmond Vestry fined him but stopped short of ordering the original path be restored and so the kink remains to this day. Following Rawlings’ death, the property was sold, first to Elizabeth Arbor, and, in 1745 to a John Patten described as “of the Parish of St George’s, Hanover Square, Gentleman”. Sometime around 1754, Patten died and the Clarence House estate became the property of his widow, Ann Patten. The Vineyard website by Stephen Orr takes up the story: “From the evidence of the Richmond Rate Books, the Patten’s appear to have leased Clarence House to William Black. They had lived in The Rosary in Ormond Road, which was part of their estate, since 1749 but by 1754 Ann Patten had moved into Clarence House following her husband’s death. She lived there – or at least she paid the rates – until her death in 1771. In 1762 Ann Patten had surrendered to the Church a piece of land at the northern end of her estate at the junction of Ormond Road and the path. Although the Patten’s owned the land over which the path crossed for some 25 years, later owners held the property for as long, or longer, than the Patten’s but their religious benevolence seems to have secured for them the long term naming rights to Patten Alley.” So in fact named after Ann not her husband.
