I used to live beside Chiswick House for 2 years, on Burlington Lane. Its beautiful gardens became like my own back garden, as it was only a 3 minute stroll to get there, but I never went inside the house itself. Instead I have happy memories of sunny days on the river bank that runs down from the house and also lying near the cricket pitch when it wasn’t being used in order to have extra privacy- though in comparison to standard London parks these grounds are super quiet anyway and big enough to kind of get lost in and feel like you’ve escaped from the world.
In my photos today as Autumn falls there are so many fallen leaves, but just a smattering of families, couples and dog walkers. In contrast on the hottest days of July and August the bank is covered with picnic blankets, the sounds of music being played and sun lotion being applied as Londoners bask in glorious heat! It’s simply beautiful all year round, in whichever season, however cloudy or bright the day is.
Today was a happy day to enter the house which always made me stop and pause when I saw it. I always plan ahead and bought my ticket for entry to the house quite some time ago when an offer came up via Travelzoo, BUT the walk-in cost of entry is super reasonable at only £7.50 for adults. The Gardens alone are free and stunning- as I say, you can totally get lost for a while in them.
I wasn’t disappointed with the house. Inside, the Neo-classical sculptures, art and decor reminded me to the style of the Victoria and Albert Museum. It’s small and easy enough to walk around fairly quickly, but it’s also stunning, has been carefully restored and on a Sunday was not hugely busy so I had plenty of space and alone time in each room. One of the workers told me that a lot and almost all of the furniture is original and that they have restored the paint work by matching it back to what the paint colours would have been in the 18th century and therefore in its heyday. When this building was completed in the early 18th century by the 3rd Earl of Burlington, it was something of a master piece and people flocked from all over London to come and see it. It was inspired by his visits to Italy and the work of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio, and “became the model for every gentleman’s semi rural retreat”. The Red Velvet and Blue Velvet rooms on the first floor are sumptuous master pieces. If you have done the usual parks and seen the typical London tourism it would be well worth checking out the house either this month or indeed when it reopens in April next year http://chiswickhouseandgardens.org.uk/
NB- I haven’t been able to include many photos from inside the house itself, as after taking a few I was told you weren’t allowed to. Oops!
Extra handy things to know
The House is only open from April to October (so get cracking if you want to visit now!), but the grounds are open all year.
The house does two free tours with the price of admission on Sundays only at 12 noon and 2.30pm. I missed this unfortunately- it would be super to have a guided tour around the house for extra information, though they have lots of information throughout the property and staff you can speak to if any questions.
How to get here
-Chiswick Overground station is literally a 5 minute walk.
-If coming via underground get the Piccadily line to Hammersmith (zone 2) and walk across the platform to take the District line to Turnham Green (Zone 3) which is literally 3 stops away from Hammersmith. (You will see Turnham Green also exists on the Piccadily line BUT it only operates super early in the morning or after 22.30pm at night for some odd reason so do make sure you do the swap to District at Hammersmith!) From here, take a quick left outside Turnham Green tube station, and stop at the bus stop there to take the E3 in the direction of “Edensor Road”. This will take you up into the heart of Turnham Green where the church is in the middle of the green, and the stop you need to get off will be, lo and behold, “Chiswick House”, about 7-8 minutes later (traffic dependent!)
Where to eat
Chiswick House has a cafe next door BUT you might also like to head on the E3 back into Turnham Green/Chiswick Police station bus stop areas and check out the variety of little independent bistros and cafes there, leading down in the direction of Hammersmith.
Nearby attractions you might want to add on
Fancy some shopping? You have the very large Westfield in nearby Shepherds Bush https://uk.westfield.com/london
Gorgeous Kew Gardens- https://www.kew.org/
Considering Richmond? You should! Check out further details at: http://www.visitrichmond.co.uk/
What else is going on at Chiswick House this year?
There are evidently things going on at Chiswick House all year round! I’d recommend taking a look at its website as its super comprehensive and will give you a lot of detailed information and ideas, including volunteering
Something that jumps out however and that I discussed with one of the guides there is that from the 15th November to the 30th December there is an exciting event taking place called “After Dark” where Chiswick Houses’ exquisite grounds are illuminated in beautiful lights for us all to enjoy the grounds, with food and drink stalls available too to perhaps buy a mulled wine from! Tickets are on sale now and I think I’ll definitely be getting mine 🙂 http://chiswickhouseandgardens.org.uk
If any of this was helpful for you and you decide to visit, please enjoy, and let me know!
Loving Living London 