historical house, garden, monument, public realm/landscape, walk/tour
William Kent, Lord Burlington, 1729
Chiswick House and Gardens , Burlington Lane, W4 2RP
Chiswick House and Gardens is one of the most glorious examples of 18th-century British architecture and landscaped Gardens with over 300 years of discovery, inspiration and delight.
Turnham Green, Chiswick Park
Chiswick
190, 272, E3
The car park is just off the westbound A4 and marked by a brown tourist board entrance sign.
https://chiswickhouseandgardens.org.uk/plan-your-visit/access/
Chiswick House and the Kitchen Garden are open Thursday to Sunday, 10:30am-3:30pm (last entry 3pm).
Our Gardens are open daily, all year round from 7am to dusk.
Entry to the grade-I listed 18th century villa: the ticket includes an audio-guide (adult and children's guides available).
Our volunteers lead tours of the House or Gardens at 12noon, starting from outside the Shop.
Dependent on volunteer availability, and included in your House ticket.
Black Chiswick through History is an ongoing community research project which aims to look more deeply at our collections.
The young people from Chiswick School, Hogarth Youth and Community Centre and Hounslow Action for Youth produced a series of thoughtful responses to the collection, inspired by their research and their own diverse experiences and background.
The third Earl of Burlington (1694-1753) designed the elegant Classical villa seen today, drawing inspiration from his 'grand tours' of Italy. It was originally located in a modest estate purchased by his grandfather, next to an existing Jacobean house.
The villa was more a showcase for the arts rather than a home, and it provided a spectacular venue for entertaining. During his travels Burlington met the architect William Kent and invited him to collaborate on the design of the villa. William Kent also designed the gardens and started the influential 'English Landscape Movement'.
By the 1770s Chiswick had passed to the fifth Duke of Devonshire who initiated a series of major changes to both house and garden, demolishing the earlier Jacobean house and adding new wings to the villa. These were subsequently removed in the 1950s.
As the home of successive members of Lord Burlington's family, including Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, Chiswick House has welcomed scores of significant guests over the years, including the musician Handel, the politician Charles James Fox, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
In the 1950s Chiswick House was passed to the Ministry of Works, via Middlesex Council, and a much needed restoration campaign was undertaken. The villa has been cared for by English Heritage since 1984, who, with the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, set up in 2005, embarked on a major restoration programme which breathed new life into the House and wider Gardens.
