There are a few places around the globe named Richmond. In fact, some say that it is the most copied English place name with around 55 towns in the USA, Canada, South Africa and Australia called Richmond.
The Pilote team have lived in or visited a few of these towns.
Richmond, Melbourne, Australia is home to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Tigers – the first AFL footy team supported by Pilote founder, Dave. Famous for an illuminated sign that tells the temperature atop old grain solos, immortalised in one of Paul Kelly’s songs – Leaps and Bounds…
I’m high on the hill, looking over the bridge to the MCG
Paul Kelly – Leaps and Bounds
And way up on high, the clock on the silo says eleven degrees
Richmond Upon Thames, a leafy suburb outside of London in the United Kingdom is where Pilote was created – circa 2008. A blue Dell laptop on the kitchen table on Hill Street, overlooking the Richmond Bridge.
As the name suggests, the Thames river winds its way through Richmond. The view of the river’s bend from the hill is said to be protected by an act of parliament. The sweep of the bend from Twickenham to Kew is alluded to in the Pilote Logo.
Richmond, Virgina, USA is perhaps the most well known place with the name. It only has a footnote in the Pilote story. We are fans of the Road Trip . And we couldn’t drive from Boston to Orlando without popping in to see Richmond on the way.
It was the 5th or 6th of July and black clouds brought rain to the roads. As such we didn’t see much of Richmond. We did have lunch though, in an old tobacco factory. Traditional fare… memorable.
So why add Richmond to our T-Shirts and Hoodies? Because Richmond is part of the origin story. And perhaps it’s the same reason that the creators of the Simpsons set the show in Springfield.
