A Visit to the Chiswick House and Gardens
Posted on 09/09/2015
A Great Historic House and Gardens in London
There is a jewel in west London, a magnificent villa which looks like it came from the Neo-Palladian era, nestled in the landscape of astounding gardens that can leave you just as amazed as the villa itself. You need only visit once to remember that the Chiswick House and its surrounding gardens are. Witness the beautiful structure designed by Lord Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington way back in 1729 as homage to the Renaissance architect Palladio. This was his one attempt to recreate a Roman villa and simply to make it into a house where he can entertain his guests. The result is a structure cherished by the English people even to this day, and often visited by everyone who wishes to see what true beauty looks like.
The Chiswick House
Learn about the history of the house with the tours offered there, or simply traverse it and see for yourself the marvellous architecture by William Kent. It contains things of true beauty such as the Chiswick Tables (incredible English Neo-Palladian furniture), The Green Men in the Fireplaces (a tribute to the pagan god of the Oak located in the Green Velvet room), the Eight Rysbrack Paintings (the complete set of paintings of the Dutch artist Pieter Andreas Rysbrack depicting the English landscape garden), the grandiose Blue Velvet Room Ceiling (displaying the goddess of Architecture and her three helpers), and the lead sphinx in the Lower Tribuna (a statue of the creatures famed as being wise protectors and symbols of guardianship, and which once was located in the Chiswick House Gardens).
The Chiswick House is a place of history and beauty and any lover of both will be more than pleased with merely one visit. Check out the Italian designs and see what both the outside and the inside of the House can offer you in terms of historical and aesthetical value.
The Chiswick House Gardens
And once outside the house, you can trek through the beauty of its gardens. Take the free tours to hear about the different sections of the garden, its contents, and the stories that every individual section may have. There is just as much history in the gardens as there is in the house itself. See the perfect lawn maintenance and landscaping which you can envy like most of the avid gardeners who visit the Chiswick House grounds. You can visit the House Kitchen Gardens where not only the professional gardeners, but the community as well can take part in the weed control or the caring for the plants in the gardens. Apart from that, you can either witness or take part in the variety of events that are going on in the gardens.
September is a month full of events for the visitors, starting with Chiswick Book Festival where you can hear from top English authors about their latest books, or even meet them in person and talk to them. The Kitchen Garden Open Day will provide you with a variety of flowers and produce on exhibition and you can get educated on the development of any one of those. You can purchase anything you see there and every single pound spent there will go in a fund for the preservation of the Chiswick House Gardens.
There is plenty to see and hear in the Chiswick House and Gardens, and you should not miss an opportunity to come to the house and garden grounds. You will be left with a tingling sensation of spiritual and educational satisfaction after all the facts and stories you hear and all the landscapes, architectural marvels, and pieces of art you see.
