Lower Richmond Road is in flux. Blades, the Italian restaurant that became a neighbourhood fixture, has closed its doors for good. A few units down, the Glenthorne Properties office stands empty after the estate agent’s sale to KFH. And TaxAgility’s premises are vacant, its accountants absorbed into a larger firm and relocated to Richmond.
But amid the closures, transformation is underway. At 94 Lower Richmond Road, builders are tearing out the old Blades interior to make way for Ruth’s London, a new venue opening in December.
Blades: End of an era
The closure marks the end of a restaurant that had been struggling in recent years but retained loyal customers who appreciated its authentic character.
Regulars knew what to expect: good Italian food served with a personal touch that larger restaurants couldn’t match. On quieter evenings, the owner would take your order, disappear into the kitchen to cook it himself, then return to pour your wine. It was the kind of idiosyncratic service that only a true family operation can provide.
But the economics of running a small restaurant eventually caught up. Blades closed a few weeks ago, and the builders moved in almost immediately.
Ruth’s London: What’s coming
The transformation is dramatic. When Putney.news visited the site, workmen had stripped the space back to bare walls, with rubble piled on the pavement outside.
Inside, the layout is being completely reimagined. A large bar has been installed at the entrance, signalling a different kind of venue to what came before. The back section has been cleaned up and modernised, though the full concept remains under wraps.
A sign outside offers few details: “open december,” it reads, directing the curious to @ruths.london on Instagram. The venue is hiring for all positions, with applications going to hello@ruths-london.com.
What kind of establishment Ruth’s London will be – cocktail bar, restaurant, or something in between – isn’t yet clear. The name and branding suggest something more intimate than a typical high street opening.
The consolidation continues
The changes at Blades sit within a broader pattern of consolidation on Lower Richmond Road.
Glenthorne Properties, the independent lettings specialist founded nearly 40 years ago by Stephen Giddings, was acquired by property group Lomond in August and folded into Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward.
The office at 135 Lower Richmond Road became famous locally for its elaborate Easter window displays featuring straw bunnies but now sits empty with a “To Let” sign in the window. With KFH already operating branches on Lower Richmond Road and Putney High Street, a third Putney location was always going to be surplus to requirements.
Giddings, who built Glenthorne with a focus on professionalising the lettings market and cultivating long-term client relationships across southwest London, said in August he would step back from the property sector following the integration. Whether next Easter will see straw bunnies anywhere in Putney remains unclear.
A few doors away at number 34, TaxAgility has also gone. A notice in the window explains that the firm “has rebranded as Xeinadin in Richmond,” directing clients to new premises at Isabella House, 12 Union Court, Richmond upon Thames. The Putney branch has been folded into the larger group’s headquarters, leaving another vacant shopfront.
A street in transition
Three closures in quick succession might seem alarming, but each tells a different story. Blades was a small business that struggled to survive in a difficult trading environment. Glenthorne and TaxAgility were absorbed by larger competitors – a pattern playing out across British high streets as independent firms consolidate.
What replaces them will shape the character of this stretch of Lower Richmond Road. Ruth’s London suggests appetite for new hospitality ventures in the area. The empty Glenthorne and TaxAgility units will test whether there’s demand for commercial space on this part of the street.
For now, the sound of builders at work signals change is coming. December will reveal what Ruth’s London has in store.
Really sorry to see Blades go, it provided great food in a lovely atmosphere. A sad loss to Putney!
Also sorry to see Blades go – lovely people who owned it and worked there. My mother in law will be devastated – we always took her there when she visited. Before it was Blades, the owner told me it was an Aussie ‘cook your own steak’ place – it’s a miracle Lower Richmond Road is still standing!
Also thank you Kieren for these great updates!