Chiswick House

Chiswick House

Chiswick House
Burlington Lane
Hounslow
London
W4 2RP

Tel: 020 8742 3508

Web: Chiswick House

About Chiswick House

Chiswick House is a magnificent neo-Palladian villa set in beautiful historic gardens in west London. Built by the third Earl of Burlington in 1729 to showcase his art collection and to enthral his guests, the House continues to display some spectacular works of art and provides a stunning venue for entertaining. The Gardens at Chiswick are the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement and have inspired countless gardens including New York's Central Park. The Gardens are open throughout the year and the House is open Sunday to Wednesday from 1st April to end October.

About Chiswick House Gardens

The gardens at Chiswick House have been loved for centuries. With their combination of grand vistas and hidden pathways, architectural delights and a dazzling array of flowers, shrubs and specimen trees, they create a unique oasis in this corner of London.

But there is more to Chiswick House Gardens than mere beauty. This is also the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement and the inspiration for great gardens from Blenheim Palace to New York’s Central Park.

Originally created by Lord Burlington and William Kent in 1729, the garden was inspired by the sights of the Grand Tour and romance of classical Italian landscape painting; it was conceived as a single, living artwork.

Burlington and Kent replaced the formality of the existing renaissance garden with a freer, more luscious design. Straight lines were out, curves and clusters in. ‘Natural’ spaces were created, their informality highlighted by the careful addition of sculpture and other architectural details including an Ionic temple and Doric column.

The lawn that slopes gently downwards from Chiswick House to the artificial river was also introduced, a revolutionary feature in its day.

The bordering parkland was opened up and made part of the garden. A lacework of meandering paths was introduced which means visitors can wander the grounds for an hour or more and never take the same route twice.

In recent decades the gardens fell into decline with over one million visits every year taking their toll. This decline has now been spectacularly reversed with an ambitious £12.1 million project which has restored the gardens to their original 18th century glory.