Visiting the Real English Town Where Ted Lasso Is Filmed

Football fan or not, Apple TV’s hit show about a fish-out-of-water American sports coach resonates deeply with people across the globe. And I’m one of them.

Like so many viewers on the North American side of the Atlantic, I became deeply invested in the ups and downs of AFC Richmond, the fictional team that the equally fictional Ted Lasso was brought to England to whip into shape.

Played brilliantly by “guy-you-want-as-a-friend,” Jason Sudeikis, series four of this feel-good television phenomenon hits the small screen this August, hot on the heels of the character’s appearance at the opening of the 2026 World Cup.

So, when the opportunity to spend a day exploring the real Richmond Upon Thames popped up, I didn’t hesitate. An easy train ride southwest of Central London, I turned up excited to explore Ted’s adopted town, hoist a pint in his local pub, and take a little of the show’s magic home with me.

Ted’s Paved Court Home

Paved Court is a short, pedestrianized cobbled lane that runs off Richmond Green. It’s lined on both sides with independent shops, a few cafés, and the kind of frontage that has changed little in the last hundred years.

It’s also where Ted lives. The black door belonging to his fictional flat carries the number 9½, painted on for filming. The real address, though, is 11a, and the actual residents would prefer you didn’t knock (just fake it, as I did).

Though the interior scenes were filmed several miles away, there’s always a steady trickle of visitors waiting for a selfie in front of the door.

The Official Ted Lasso Store

Walking the length of Paved Court doesn’t take long. Unless, that is, you stop to shop. And stop (and shop) you must, especially at the Official Ted Lasso Store.

Located in Number 4 Paved Court, it opened in 2024 to satisfy the growing interest in the show and the related tourism boom. The first (and so far, only) licensed Ted Lasso retail outlet in the UK, it’s set across two floors and is crammed full of jerseys, hoodies, scarves, and hats emblazoned with the AFC Richmond logo. It also has countless variations of Ted’s famous “Believe” phrase emblazoned on souvenirs and clothing.

Show-themed merch can also be purchased at Reale Camiceria Italian Embroidery. When I visited, this classy clothing store had a display of very cool Ted Lasso-related scarves and beanies.

The Prince’s Head Pub

A few steps from the Ted Lasso store, The Prince’s Head (or if you’re Ted, The Crown and Anchor) is AFC Richmond’s pub of choice. Though only used for exterior shots, you can grab a chair and nurse a pint just as AFC Richmond fans were shown to do.

More than 300 years old, this first-rate watering hole overlooks Richmond Green, so getting a window seat is a must if you can nab one. Given so many fans assume they’re sitting where Ted sat, a steady flow of Lasso fans means the place is usually busy from opening time onward.

Richmond Green and the Old Palace

Directly opposite The Prince’s Head, Richmond Green is a 12-acre parcel of common land that, in 1501, was the front lawn of one of the most important royal palaces in England. Known as Richmond Palace, it stood on the site between the Green and the River Thames until the 17th century, when it was sold off and demolished after the execution of Charles I.

What survives today is the Tudor gatehouse, still bearing King Henry VII’s coat of arms above the arch, the brick range of the Wardrobe building, and a row of Georgian houses. Called Maids of Honour Row, these homes were built in 25 along the spot where the palace’s eastern range once faced the Green.

The list of Royals connected to the palace is certainly extensive. Henry VIII spent his first Christmas as king here with Catherine of Aragon; Anne of Cleves was given it as part of her divorce settlement; and Mary I honeymooned here with Philip of Spain in 1554. Elizabeth I, who used Richmond as her winter residence because it was the warmest palace, died there in 1603, ending the Tudor dynasty in a room overlooking the same patch of grass on which cricket is now played.

The Green has also been used for jousting tournaments as well as a market since the fifteenth century. I popped into the Museum of Richmond in the Old Town Hall to see a detailed scale model of the palace as it would have looked in 1562.

Richmond Riverside

A two-minute walk south from Richmond Green brings you to the mighty Thames and Richmond Riverside. Richmond Bridge, completed in 1777, is the oldest surviving Thames bridge in London. A Grade I listed structure, it remains one of the most attractive river views in London.

As you look at the bridge, you’ll notice a row of boathouses. Known as the Richmond Bridge Boathouses, one of them is used by Master Boatbuilder Mark Edwards MBE. Edwards is a local celebrity for his traditional Thames boatbuilding skills and has constructed everything from skiffs to punts and cutters using the same techniques perfected along this stretch of river two centuries ago.

He also famously built Gloriana, the 94-foot Royal Rowbarge that led the 1,000-vessel Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012. More recently, he built the wooden eights used in the George Clooney film, The Boys in the Boat. If you’re lucky like me, you may even catch Edwards at work and ready to chat.

Don’t neglect the upper terraces of Richmond Riverside. A few yards from the bridge near the entrance to Heron Court, I found a life-sized bronze statue of author Virginia Woolf. Seated on a bench, book in hand while looking out at the river, the sculpture is half a mile from Hogarth House, where Woolf ran the Hogarth Press from 1915 onward.

Richmond Hill’s Famous Thames View

With all that Ted Lasso stuff out of the way, I headed from the Green along Hill Street and Hill Rise up to Richmond Hill and what I was told would be one of the best views in London. From here, I gazed over the only view in England that’s protected by an Act of Parliament. Passed in 1902, the act prevents any building from ever spoiling the panoramic view down to the river.

And it really is quite magical. Not only is it the very same view that inspired the founders of Richmond, Virginia (they named their capital after it), but Turner painted it repeatedly, and Scotland’s most famous author, Sir Walter Scott, wrote about it.

The terrace at the top is bordered by several hotels and pubs that look out over the same spectacular views.

Pop Into the Poppy Factory

Walking back to the center of town from those amazing views, I decided to pay a visit to one of Richmond’s most influential enterprises. The Poppy Factory has been making the Remembrance Day poppies and wreaths laid each November at the Cenotaph, in Westminster Abbey, and on royal and regimental graves across the country since 1922.

Established to give disabled veterans a livelihood after World War I, the workforce grew so quickly that, in 1926, the enterprise moved to a disused brewery on Petersham Road. It has been here ever since, and this year it celebrates its 100th birthday in Richmond.

The work continues by hand, and each year thousands of wreaths are produced for the Royal Family, as well as regimental associations, schools, and churches. I found the visit well worthwhile as it includes a presentation about the history of the factory, a look at artifacts on display, as well as a glimpse of the factory floor. There’s even an opportunity to make your own poppy.

Tips and Tactics

Here’s how to get the most out of your Richmond Upon Thames experience… both the Ted bits, and the real bits:

• Richmond is easy to walk around, and the main filming locations on Paved Court and Richmond Green, as well as the store, can be covered in a morning.
• If you’re a serious fan of the show, guided walking tours are available through The Original Ted Lasso Tour, starting from Richmond Station and running for around two and a half hours.
• The Prince’s Head takes reservations for its dining area and its popular Sunday roasts. Visit princeshead.co.uk.
• The Ted Lasso Store opens at 10 am daily. Online shopping is available at tedlassostorerichmond.com
• Allow at least a full day if you want to add Richmond Hill and other attractions to the itinerary.
• Hampton Court Palace is just four miles upstream and reachable by riverboat in summer.
• Season 4 of Ted Lasso airs on Apple TV+ in summer 2026, and Richmond is likely to be busier than usual through the back end of the year. Visit out of season if you can.
• For other Ted Lasso-related sites, check out the official Visit Richmond website.

How to Get There

Richmond Station is in Travelcard Zone 4 and is served by the London Underground’s District line, the London Overground’s Mildmay line, and Southwestern Railway services from London Waterloo. From Waterloo, fast trains take around 18 to 20 minutes; the District line from central London takes around 35 to 40 minutes, depending on your starting point. Oyster Cards and contactless payment work across all three operators.

The town center, Richmond Green, Paved Court and the Prince’s Head are all within five to ten minutes’ walk of the train station. Richmond Park’s main pedestrian gate at Petersham is around 20 minutes on foot, or a short ride on bus 65 or 371 from outside the station.