Chiswick House

Address – Chiswick          W4 2RP Phone 0208 995 0508 Opening times open every day from 7am until dusk, all year round Collection/special features Look out for the ornate gateway originally designed by Inigo Jones in 1621 but not actually put in place at Chiswick in 1738 Dog friendly? Yes, on leads. Child friendly? Very much so, a popular location not just for families, but for local schools to visit. Description Because the Chiswick Estate has developed over a period of nearly four centuries, it reveals a patchwork of garden design and architecture that is a fascinating trip through history.  The house and gardens were establish in the mid-seventeenth century by Sir Edward Seymour.  Then the estate was purchased by the first Earl of Burlington, Richard Boyle, in 1682 who work with William Kent, to lay out the classic Italianate gardens which perfectly complemented the building and are still largely intact – feature from this period include the obelisk, temple, amphitheatre, cascade and the wilderness, although this last has some Victorian additions and alterations. The gardens are now a public park, owned by the London Borough of Hounslow and the house is looked after by English Heritage.

Chiswick House photograph by wzeltzer, used under a creative commons licence