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House and Garden
Introduction
Every week Chiswick House and Gardens play host to a wide range of activities, volunteer groups and societies. Here you will find details of the most popular groups and their contact details or weblinks.The Friends website would be pleased to help publicise other activities where possible.
Please contact: secretary@chfriends.org.uk
Access to Chiswick House and Gardens
Timetable for Re-opening of the Gradens
Chiswick House opened to the public on 1st April. Due to the extensive restoration works many areas of the gardens are closed.
The programme of works will be completed, as planned, in early 2010.
An intense programme of important landscaping work has been undertaken over the last eight months, particularly in areas around Chiswick House. This has required large areas of the park to be closed off and we are very grateful to park users for their patience and co-operation. Below is a more detailed schedule of opening dates:
Café
The new cafe will open in Spring 2010.
Car Park
The Car Park is now open, but will need to be closed again from late October for approximately 6 weeks while works to the car park entrance from the A4 are carried out.
Classic Bridge
Frost damage to repairs in early 2009 has delayed the opening. These have now been addressed and the bridge will be open from Monday 13 July - although it will close for a few days at the end of July/early August for the final surface to be applied to the pathway. The area to the east of the bridge [Northern Wilderness] will remain closed while works are completed on paths.
Northern Wilderness
The Northern Wilderness area will re-open by early September, although access via the Rustic Gate entrance to the car park will not be possible until October at the earliest.
Rosary
The Rosary this will re-open in September 2009 following the installation of a new sculpture of Venus on top of the Doric Column.
Entrances to the park
Burlington Lane
Burlington Lane may be closed periodically while path surfaces are replaced.
Chertsey Road
Chertsey Road is open but could be closed periodically for painting.
Park Road Gate
Park Road Gate is open. A new metal gate will replace the current gate.
Rustic Gate
Rustic Gate will not open for visitor access between the car park and Northern Wilderness until October. Car park users will need to access the House and/or Park via the nearest alternative entrances.
Dukes Avenue Gate
Dukes Avenue Gate from the A4 or Park Road Gate.
This notice will be updated regularly – for latest access details please ring the House Tel. 020 8995 0508
What's Happening in the House and Gardens
Every week Chiswick House and Gardens play host to a wide range of activities, volunteer groups and societies. Here you will find details of the most popular groups and some contact details.. The Friends website would be pleased to help publicise other activities where possible. Please contact us.
- Dandelion Drop-in….www.dandelionplaytime.co.uk
- Dog Walkers………...www.chowgroup.co.uk
- Parkwatch ……….......email Parkwatch Secretary
- Bat Walks
- Camellia Society
Cricket - Chiswick & Latymer Cricket Club
Chiswick & Latymer Cricket Club has been playing in the grounds of Chiswick House since the mid 1950's. If you would like to know more about the club and its activities or would like to join as player, Colts coach or helper, umpire, scorer or just as a supporter or want information on activities or indoor and outdoor nets, please contact Graham Hall on graham.hall7@virgin.net.
For all Colts Cricket contact Derek Hill on 020 7602 1216 or at dehill@onetel.com. For Adult Cricket and for pitch bookings contact also Graham Hall on 020 8940 0335 or at graham.hall7@virgin.net.
For more information visit www.chiswickandlatymer.org
Will to Win Tennis
Will to Win is a public tennis centre providing a complete range of tennis services run by tennis professionals for all sections of the community.
They provide quality facilities, first class coaching by insured and qualified coaches, a junior development programme, schools community programme and free walk on courts for local kids Mon- Fri 3-6pm.
For more information visits Will to Win or call 0208 994 1466 or 07958355848. Alternatively email them at willtowin@btopenworld.com or see their website www.willtowin.co.uk.
Lead Theft from Ionic Temple
Burlington’s picturesque Ionic Temple which is due to be restored as part of the project works has suffered repeated theft of lead from the roof over a prolonged period.
There are now concerns about water penetration into this historic Grade 1 building. Scaffolding has been erected around the Ionic Temple to hold a temporary cover, which allows the roof to breath and placed over the building. This took a little longer than expected so the roof will be put in this month.
Heritage Lottery Fund Project
The Heritage Lottery Fund has given stage two approval and has pledged £7.6m towards the £12 million project to restore the grounds of Chiswick House.
Due to the sheer scale of the works over the next six months much of the park is closed to ensure public safety and to allow contractors to undertake their work as quickly as possible when the gardens are least visited.
The area around the house is closed to the public, including the Forecourt, Exedra, Grove and Western Lawn. The path closure extends from the south of Duke's Avenue to the Old Burlington Lane Gate. The Chertsey Road Gate is closed to the public.
There are signs on all the entrances to the park which show which paths and routes around the park are open. The Trust and its contractors are very grateful to the public for their patience during this busy period.
The details of the Lottery project can be accessed on the CHGT website at www.chgt.org.uk.
Ecology & Use of the Gardens
The Friends believe that there must be a balance between the natural ecology of the grounds of Chiswick House and its future development. This is broadly to ensure that the natural flora and fauna are preserved and enhanced as the site is restored.
It is hoped that all parts of the community will be represented as usage of the gardens develops and that these demands are balanced with the needs of the natural environment. Nick Massie, local naturalist, may be contacted at: nick.massie@gmail.com
Finding us
How to Find Us>
Map of House & Grounds>
Garden Opening Times
The gardens are open daily from dawn to dusk (seasonal changes apply)
Chiswick House Opening Times
The House is open every day in April.
Opening Time and Entrance Fees>
Free to Chiswick House Friends members. To Join today click here.
Tours of the House
Special guided tours take place within the house on every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The tours are free with paid admission to the villa. Pre-booked tours (11 or more people) by appointment only.
For detailed directions and access, click here.
Friends Help Fund Education and Outreach Officer
Thanks to the generosity of Chiswick House Friends, The Ernest Cook Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund, a dedicated Education and Outreach Officer has been appointed to develop a schools and life long learning programme for Chiswick House and Gardens.
Simrit Mann, who recently accepted the post, said she is passionate about communities engaging with local heritage and passing on heritage stories. The educational potential of the site is very exciting and will be a wonderful opportunity to expand activities for all ages in both the House and Gardens.
Education is a key area, which the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust continues to raise funds for. Improving resources including classroom, workshop areas, displays and exhibitions will make a great difference to the quality and scope of the service the Trust can offer.
Chiswick House Friends are very excited to be supporting this venture.
Contact Simrit Mann, Education and Outreach Officer to arrange group educational visits to the house and gardens. Telephone +44 (0) 20 8742 350 or click here Education and Outreach.
Oscar Winning Costumes Come to Chiswick House
Throughout April Chiswick House exhibited BAFTA and Oscar award winning costumes, worn by stars in the popular film ‘The Duchess’. The film, based on the best selling book by Amanda Foreman, traces the extraordinary life of society beauty and political campaigner Georgiana, wife of the 5th Duke of Devonshire.
Chiswick House provided the perfect Georgian setting for the costumes worn by Keira Knightly, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling and their fellow actors. The connection with 18th Century Chiswick runs even deeper. The immensely wealthy 5th Duke of Devonshire owned Chiswick House, a country property on the edge of town which Georgiana referred to as her “earthly paradise”.
Copyright Pathe. The Duchess was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 16th March from Pathe Distribution Ltd.
The exhibition traced the controversial life of Georgiana, the relationship between herself, best friend Lady Elizabeth Foster and her husband, as well as her influence as a celebrated socialite, fashion setter, gambler, loving mother and political activist in an age when women’s suffrage was still over a century away. It also revealed the fascinating and less well known story of Georgiana at Chiswick, a house which the Duke transformed, and where the Duchess held her famous political breakfasts.
The film’s costume designer, Michael O’Connor won an Oscar for "The Duchess".
Volunteer Groups
Parkwatch
Chiswick House Friends is associated with Parkwatch, an independent group created a number of years ago with the objective of helping to make the grounds a safer and more pleasant place to visit. A steering group meets regularly at which various interested users are represented, as well as the Police, Chiswick Community School, Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, Gardens management (Head Gardener and Burleys) and English Heritage. The Friends are supportive of the Parkwatch aims and one of their trustees sits on the steering group. The views and opinions of park users on issues of relevance are always welcome and these should be directed by e-mail to the Parkwatch Secretary.
The Walled Gardens at Chiswick House date from 1682 and form a distinct part of Chiswick House grounds that has not been open to the public and has been neglected for many years. Part of the walled gardens still serves as a council nursery, part of it is still overgrown. The Kitchen Garden project began in February 2005 as a voluntary group dedicated to reviving the gardens and teaching local children (and adults) about horticulture and growing food.
The Kitchen Garden Association (KGA) runs gardening sessions for local schoolchildren during the week. They have now held well over 1,500 child sessions. There is also a gardening club, and D of E sessions are held for teenagers working towards their Duke of Edinburgh awards.
Closure of the Kitchen Garden during 2009
Unfortunately the Kitchen Garden will be closed from January 2009 for a year, during the building works. A new central and perimeter path will be laid, the walls will be re-pointed and wired for fruit trees, and all the trees, apart from one oak and the mulberry, will be cleared from the walled gardens. Restoring the kitchen garden is important and KGA are very pleased that the paths and walls are to be fixed and the southern area is to be laid out as a garden with the northern area an orchard.
For more information, visit www.kitchengarden.org.uk
The Goosefoot Volunteers
Walk through Chiswick House Gardens on a Wednesday morning, come rain or shine, and you will see the Goosefoot Volunteers. Wearing their distinctive blue sweatshirts, hacking down brambles, pulling up weeds, edging paths, pruning wisteria and planting shrubberies, repairing the glasshouses and benches, clearing the lake of debris and doing countless other tasks to ensure the Gardens remain such a delightful sanctuary.
There are opportunities to do more creative things, such as restoring an entire area or looking after the gardens to a higher standard. The volunteers would love to have more people to help. As the Heritage Lottery Funded Project nears completion in March 2010 there will be other opportunities for volunteering for those who have other skills. We would like to find a skilled gardening group to help maintain the Italian Garden and newly replanted Camellia shrubbery.
We are hoping to recruit and train a group of voluntary guides to show people around the newly restored garden. We would like to train a group skilled in habitat conservation and creation techniques to encourage wildlife.
If you are interested then please email Fiona.crumley@chgt.org.uk, your email will then be forward on to Philip Sarell, the voluntary volunteer co-ordinator.
CHOW
CHOW--Chiswick House Organised Dog Walkers--was set up in 2006 by a group of local dog owners who regularly exercise their pets in the gardens of Chiswick House. The group was formed in response to the proposals outlined by the CHG Trust in their bid to obtain Heritage Lottery funding for the redevelopment and restoration of the House and Gardens.
CHOW has a mandate from dog owners to represent them in their desire to continue enjoying the Grounds whilst recognising the needs of the redevelopment and other users.
To this end, CHOW has devised a Dog Code, in conjunction with the Gardens management, which can be seen on the notice boards in the Gardens. The Code asks dog owners and walkers to ensure that, whilst enjoying the freedom of the Gardens to walk their dogs, they also take account of the needs of all other users.
CHOW works with the Gardens management, CHGT and CHF on all matters relating to dogs in the Gardens. In conjunction with CHF it organises the annual Dog Show and, through the generosity of the Dogs Trust, arranges for dog waste bags to be available to all dog walkers.
For more information on CHOW and its aims click on www.chowgroup.co.uk
Could you become a Gardens' Tour Guide?
Once the current redevelopment of the Gardens is completed, it is planned to offer group tours of the Chiswick House Gardens. The Gardens contain a wealth of fascinating history and botanical information and training days will take place in 2009 to prepare for the tours. If you are interested in volunteering to become a guide please email Fiona.crumley@chgt.org.uk