With the amount of palaces, castles, and stately homes in the UK I’m sure I will never run out of new ones to visit. Chiswick House, located in the suburbs of West London, came on my radar because of my Art Fund card. All members are given a guide highlighting venues for art and culture throughout the UK.
When perusing my guide for new places to explore I came upon Chiswick House, and when I looked up pictures online I knew I had found a gem. I asked Mandy from Emm in London if she’d like to join and a day trip was planned.
Chiswick House is important place as it is the first example of neo-Palladian design in England. Inspired by the architecture of ancient Rome and 16th Century Italy, the third Earl of Burlington built the house as an homage to Renaissance architect Palladio. It was not built as a residence but as a place to display his art collections.
The house though impressive on the outside was a bit lacklustre inside. The ground floor rooms are sparsely decorated and the audio guide is slightly confusing. There are numbers to help you along but placement of these could be better. The area where the house shines however is when it comes to their ceilings which are ornate and elaborate.
The highlight of the visit for me were the gardens. It was nice to see local residents using and enjoying the gardens like a regular park. Many families (and dogs) were there basking in the sun and green space.
The gardens also carry significant as they are the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement and have inspired countless gardens including New York’s Central Park, pretty impressive.
There is a lot to see on the garden grounds and the website for Chiswick House provides maps to help discover these. During our visit we were able to see all of grounds in a relatively short amount of time. This is definetely worth a visit even if you do not enter the house.
The Gardens
Open every day from 7am until dusk, all year round.
There is no charge for visiting Chiswick House Gardens
The House
From 1 April-31 Oct
Open 10am-5pm Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed & Bank Holidays
Closed Thu, Fri and Sat
From 2 Nov-21 Dec
Closed to visitors except pre-booked group tours. Please contact Chiswick House for details.
From 22 Dec-31 Mar
Closed
Chiswick House ticket prices
Adult: £5.90
Children (Age 5-15): £3.50
Family Ticket (2 adults, 3 children): £15.30
Concession: £5.30
Children under 5 and English Heritage Members: FRE
