Chiskwick house & Gardens

 

A Nobe Roman-style Palladian Villa, Whose pure exteriors contrast with sumptuous interiors. Spring 2010 brings the culmination of a major project to restore the gardens to their former glory. Dont miss your chance to visit the house in a luxury chauffeur driven car, with an expolarion of the gardens and their wonderfull buildings, views and vistas. Ask our chauffeur company for details about Guided Tours.

The House

The octagonal domed Palladian villa is inspired by the Villa Capra "La Rotonda" near Vicenza and at the same time a fine example of 18th-century architecture, with its colonnaded portico on the upper storey, the frescoed ceilings, the velvet rooms and the stone rooms. It differs from the Villa Capra in having three different designs to the facades (front, back, and two matching sides) rather than being symmetrical all the way round. There is also a superb collection of paintings and Palladian furnishings.
The villa was never intended for occupation, having no bedrooms or kitchen, instead being a place to display Burlington's collection. Chiswick House is believed by some to have been built as a Masonic lodge or temple, and English Heritage, which administers the site, offers a tour exploring the building's Masonic symbolism.
In 2009 the facade of the house was used as the setting for the Biffy Clyro music video for the single "That Golden Rule".

The Gardens

The gardens, like the villa, were inspired by Italian Renaissance gardens and classical architecture and literature, in particular by the gardens of Roman villas described precisely in the letters of the Roman historian Pliny; gardens with alleys shaded by trees, with parterres, topiary, and fountains.The first architect of the gardens was Charles Bridgeman, who worked on them until 1720, and then William Kent, whom Lord Burlington had met during his second journey to Italy in 1723.
The gardens were filled with symbolic architectural constructions which showed Burlington's knowledge of Roman, Greek, Renaissance architecture, and statues and architecture which expressed his political ideals. The garden included a small model of the Pantheon and an obelisk. A Theatre of hedges displayed busts of Caesar and Pompey, responsible for the decline of the Roman republic facing a statue of Cicero, the defender of the Republic. This was intended as a criticism of the policies of Burlington's opponent, Prime Minister Robert Walpole.
William Kent added a cascade, inspired by the upper cascade of the gardens of the Villa Aldbrandini. Kent's garden also featured a flower garden, an orchard, a carefully-planned grove of trees. and a garden of orange trees, surrounding the small replica of the Pantheon.
The lawn at the rear of the house was created by 1745 and planted with cypresses alternating with stone urns creating the view seen at the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Web site, leading to the Patte d'oie (or goosefoot) an arrangement of three radiating paths.
A lake was created around 1727 by widening the Bollo Brook which is today carried on the bed of the lake in a pipe. The Classic Bridge was constructed in 1774 and its design is attributed to James Wyatt.
A gateway designed by Inigo Jones in 1621 at Beaufort House in Chelsea and was removed and rebuilt by Burlington at Chiswick House in 1738.
The grounds has two "wilderness" areas and numerous other features described at Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Web site.
The grounds of Moreton Hall, an adjoining property to the East were added in 1812, the Hall itself was demolished. The Italian Garden was laid out on the newly acquired grounds in that year to a design by Lewis Kennedy. The Conservatory adjoining the Italian Garden was completed in 1813, and at 96m was the longest at that time. A collection of Camellias is housed in the Conservatory some of which survive from 1828 to this day.
In 1966, The Beatles shot films for their two songs called "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" in the grounds - many of the shots being in the conservatory among the camellias.
The ashes of British actor, broadcaster and songwriter Michael Flanders are scattered in the grounds.

LOCATION
Chiswick House & Gardens
Burlington Lane, Chiswick,
London, W4 2RP

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