Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ñaño house with mausoleum skull in foreground.
Ñaño Casa Museo
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
The salt cairn.
The Lewis and Clark Salt Works
South entrance.
Reigate Tunnel
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
8 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
8 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
8 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
8 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England London King Henry's Mound

King Henry's Mound

It is against the law to obstruct the view from the top of this English burial mound.

London, England

Added By
stuartheather89
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The view from King Henry’s Mound.   Adam Hodgson on Flickr
The view from King Henry’s Mound.   Adam Hodgson on Flickr
King Henry’s Mound   Davide D'Amico on Flickr
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Rising out of the lush surroundings of London's Richmond Park, the ancient barrow now known as King Henry's Mound is home to a telescope, the view through which is a historically protected sightline.

The highest point in the park, the mound itself is believed to date back to neolithic times, probably created as a burial mound. Despite its prehistoric origin, the mound is better associated, factually or not, with a more recent event: the killing of Anne Boleyn.

According to the story from which the mound now gets its name, King Henry the VIII climbed to the top of the high hill in 1536 to watch for a signal from the Tower of London that Anne Boleyn had lost her head and that he was free to remarry. While there is no concrete evidence to back up this story and it is likely that the king was actually in nearby Wiltshire, the name has stuck.

Regardless of whether King Henry ever stood at the summit of the mound, the stunning view has not gone unnoticed. In fact the unique vista looks out over St. Paul's Cathedral in the distance. A permanent public telescope has even been set up on the summit so that visitors can take a closer look at the distant dome. The view is so beloved that has become officially protected so that no buildings can be built to obstruct the sightline, despite London's housing crisis. Even the copse of trees that grow at the top of the hill has been bored through so that people can still see what King Henry likely never did. 

Related Tags

Mounds Telescopes

Know Before You Go

Enter Richmond Park from Richmond Gate in the north west and walk a short distance down Queens Road. Closest station is Richmond (tube and rail)

Parking is at Petersham Park car park, a short distance from the mound. 

The mound is through a heavy green gate and up a short slope. It is possible to see the sight line through the trees from the main path - just along from the gate, one of the wooden posts is marked 'St Paul's View'.

Community Contributors

Added By

stuartheather89

Edited By

xanman50, jooniur, EricGrundhauser, rbenn250

  • xanman50
  • jooniur
  • EricGrundhauser
  • rbenn250

Published

May 27, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/richmond-park/richmond-park-attractions/king-henrys-mound
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Park
  • http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=7592
King Henry's Mound
Queen's Road
London, England, TW10
United Kingdom
51.445381, -0.294803
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Richmond Park

London, England

miles away

Remains of Richmond Palace

London, England

miles away

'The Naked Ladies'

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 109

Nearby Places

Richmond Park

London, England

miles away

Remains of Richmond Palace

London, England

miles away

'The Naked Ladies'

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 536
Stories 109

Related Places

  • Yassıhüyük, Turkey

    Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)

    The oldest known standing wooden building in the world is a chamber inside a burial mound.

  • The on site museum preserves objects recovered from the mounds.

    Bokopukhuri Habi, India

    Charaideo Moidam

    The 700-year old burial mounds of the Ahom Kingdom.

  • An ancient tumulus in a parking lot.

    Ikaruga, Japan

    Funazuka Burial Mound

    Once a heap of dirt with a shrubbery on it, this unassuming mound in a parking lot turned out to be an ancient tumulus.

  • Ejer Bavnehøj with Møllehøj at far right.

    Skanderborg, Denmark

    Møllehøj (Mill Hill)

    The highest point in Denmark has been a matter of dispute for over 80 years.

  • Paju, South Korea

    Odusan Unification Observatory

    The place nearest Seoul where it’s easy to get a good look at North Korea.

  • Radio telescopes.

    Cawston, British Columbia

    Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory

    One of Canada's premier radio observatories sits in a radio-quiet valley outside Penticton.

  • Burial mounds in Birka

    Birka, Sweden

    Birka Viking Burial Mounds

    Sweden's first Viking city is also the site of thousands of burial mounds.

  • Telescope domes at Pine Mountain Observatory.

    Millican, Oregon

    Pine Mountain Observatory

    In the high desert east of Bend, the University of Oregon maintains a research observatory on a remote mountain peak.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.