News & Events

2009 Dog Show - Best show yet

Photograph copyright to: MCampbell-Pederson 2008

The 2009 Chiswick House Gardens Dog Show has been deemed the best show yet according to the organisers. (Chiswick House Organised Walkers in association with Chiswick House Friends.) It is estimated that over 1200 visitors enjoyed the show held on the cricket pitch area of the Gardens, basking in the sunshine and soaking up the atmosphere. The show was opened by Councillor Paul Lynch, the Mayor of Hounslow, accompanied by his border collie, Meg.

Judges included designer Cath Kidston, actor James Dreyfuss, CHGT Project Director Sarah Finch-Crisp and Chiswick butcher Rodney Macken. Best in Show was judged by Anthony Young of the Young Veterinary Partnership, together with show sponsor Derek Fletcher of Edward d’Arc and George Nissen Chairman of Chiswick House Friends. The Rings were sponsored for the second year by CJ Hall veterinary surgeons of Acton Lane, and the new team at Southfields Grooming sponsored the programme.

Over 30 stallholders attended this year’s event with over 80 volunteers who helped to make the show a success including the 20th Chiswick Scouts. Hounslow Council kindly provided the rosettes.

The Chair of the organising committee says, “We are thrilled that so many people came along and enjoyed the day with us. It is a great community event, accessible to everyone. Visitor and class entry numbers were both well up on last year. It is a vindication of 8 months of planning by the committee and also confirms the importance of Chiswick House Gardens to the dog-walking community.”

Fittingly, Best in Show winner Piper belongs to a regular Chiswick House Gardens volunteer.

The CHG Dog Show is organised in conjunction with Chiswick House Friends, with all proceeds donated to improve dog-related facilities within the gardens.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer helper or are interested in taking a stall next year, please e-mail thechowgroup@yahoo.co.uk

Visit www.chowgroup.co.uk for further information.

The Café

Many visitors to the House and Gardens will be sad the old cafe has finally been demolished.

The new café will be south facing and so will be in a warmer, lighter position than the old building. It will have a colonnade across its main elevation which will provide a covered external seating area from which people can enjoy views of the park. The room will be extensively glazed so that the garden can be fully appreciated. New lawns will be created on the site of the old café and Old Burlington Lane will be straightened to a line closer to its original route.

The new cafe is due to open in the Spring of 2010 but the contractors are making great progress and it is hoped it will be open sooner.

Chiswick House celebrates 500 years of Andrea Palladio

Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) is debatably the most influential architect in the history of architecture. His legacy was ensured by his revolutionary treatise, "The Four Books of Architecture", (1570). Through these books he exerted a dominant influence for over two centuries, particularly in northern Europe. His beautiful renaissance villas near Venice were the inspiration for the Neo-classical style in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Palladianism was fostered in the early 18th century by Richard Boyle, the Earl of Burlington which includes his beautiful neo-classic example at Chiswick.

To celebrate Palladio’s 500th anniversary, visitors will be able to walk through Chiswick House and Gardens with a specially produced trail guide, explaining the architectural and decorative details inspired by the antique and Palladian architecture.  In addition, the first floor gallery, a beautiful space inspired by antique decoration and Palladian geometry,  reopened this spring following detailed paint research and is re-presented in its 18th-century paint colours. To download the Palladio Anniversary Trail free of charge click here.

About our Events

We have put great emphasis on activities that involve the community in ways that are appropriate to the setting and to the wishes of our members. Please let us know if you have any comments by emailing secretary@chfriends.org.uk.

News Updates

Chiswick House Friends' Drinks Party - A Wonderful Evening

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of our founding, Chiswick House Friends were delighted to welcome 150 Friends and guests to our annual drinks party at Chiswick House on Monday 21st September. The evening started gathered around the newly installed Venus de' Medici, funded by the Friends, in the Rosary Garden.

Friends' Chairman George Nissen and Hounslow Mayor Paul Lynch
welcomed the guests and later in the House reflected on the achievements of the Friends' 25 years work in running local events and projects, raising funds in support of the Lottery project and generally representing the views of the local community.

This was the largest drinks party we have ever held,
with guests from the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, English Heritage and Hounslow Council. The guests were treated to a performance by Serafina Steer playing a harp concerto by Handel and also some music supplied by Chatsworth with Georgiana (The Duchess) connections.

The whole event took place under the new chandeliers installed by English Heritage with the Friends help. It was a beautiful September evening and everybody enjoyed themselves.

Thanks are extended to our many supporters and members who helped make the party such a success. Join us next year by becoming a member. Click here.

A Search for Chandeliers

Cathy Power of English Heritage, the curator at Chiswick House, for many years has overseen its acquisitions.

The House's Gallery was fully paint-researched in 2006, followed by a comprehensive restoration completed in April 2008. The presentation of this area is now one of the most complete regarding its original decoration and presentation of the contents to Lord Burlington’s period with the recent purchase of a pair of chandeliers to hang at either end of the Gallery.

During the Gallery redecoration project, Cathy consulted period lighting dealers and auction catalogues to source a pair of bronze chandeliers, however the search was unsuccessful in finding a close enough match in style or size; either as modern replicas or a pair of historical equivalents.

This year, with a small but important contribution from Chiswick House Friends, Cathy was successful in securing a pair of beautiful and rare six branch gilt-bronze chandeliers which have now been installed in the House.

Chiswick House Friends are proud to have assisted in many projects over the years for all our members and visitors to enjoy.

Summer opera 2009 - "The Barber of Seville" - Rossini

A SELL OUT PERFORMANCE

Chiswick House Friends hosted another exciting summer opera in the newly restored Gardens of Chiswick House. After the success of previous years the Garden Opera Company presented Rossini's wonderful comic caper, “The Barber of Seville” held on Thursday 25th June 2009.

The audience picnicked on the lawns and make the most of the beautiful surroundings and enjoyed a really special summer evening. The atmosphere was marvelous with people saying it was, "The best yet".

The event's main sponsor local brewer Fuller, Smith & Turner provided a bar pavilion on the evening for all to enjoy.

Pissarro's, the well known restaurant at Chiswick Pier, provided exciting fare such as picnic hampers, barbequed meats and freshly shucked oysters. Hot beverages were also on offer adding to the conviviality of the night.

This is the fifth year the Friends have promoted a summer opera in the Gardens of Chiswick House and the event attracted a wide local audience.

The opera is the main fundraising event for Chiswick House Friends. This year was a sell out performance, as in previous years. Look for next year's details in March 2010 on this website.

For information about the Garden Opera Company click here. See their performance at Ravenscourt Park on September 11th 2009.

"London’s Country Houses", by Caroline Knight

From the late 15th century up until 1900, many of the prosperous upper and middle classes of London built much-loved second homes in the suburbs, some on riverside sites such as Chiswick House, others on high ground with extensive views. Though the owners often had country estates too, the pressure of city life led them more frequently to their suburban country house, its relatively smaller size being easier to manage, and where gardens and outdoor pursuits could be enjoyed without the owners losing contact with business and society.

Chiswick House is an important surviving example of this type of house, and is still surrounded by acres of gardens, relatively little altered since the 18th century. The family also owned Burlington House in Piccadilly, as well as having country estates in Ireland and Yorkshire. When it was inherited by the Dukes of Devonshire it was used constantly, as it was so much more accessible than Chatsworth in distant Derbyshire.

Moreover, the London country houses offered an opportunity to display wealth to their friends and other acquaintances. Lavishly illustrated and beautifully presented, Caroline's book shows how the houses were often expensively and fashionably decorated and furnished, with several holding significant art collections. Maps, plans, paintings, prints and photographs complement an informative and readable text.

Caroline Knight is an architectural historian. Born in Yorkshire, she has a degree in History and History of Art from London University and an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art. Living on Highgate Hill she was intrigued by two neighbouring houses, Lauderdale House and Cromwell House, 16th- and 17th-century respectively. She was a Trustee of the Chiswick House Friends for many years, is now a member of the CHF Advisory Committee, and has lectured at the House on a number of occasions.

London’s Country Houses will be published by Phillimore & Co. Ltd on the 18th March 2009.