Chiswick House and Gardens, a cultural gem, William Milne – Tiffin School

The busy Chiswick of the urban world was at one time not so busy. In the early 17th century, it was, a rural riverside village conveniently near to London which attracted the wealthiest families who constructed villas there. In this village lay a mere Jacobean House. Nothing special. Nothing that anticipated a future of any great renown.

Then the head of the Boyle family that owned the House, Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, after a devastating fire in 1725, had the bright idea of building a new ‘villa’ to the West of the Jacobean House.

But this would not be the typical villa. It would be a complicated fusion of the cultural richness Burlington had encountered as one of the leading cultural figures of his time. His friendship group ranged from Handel to Alexander Pope; he embarked on two Grand Tours of Europe where he acquired innumerable artistic masterpieces; but perhaps his obsession with the culture and architecture of Ancient Rome (as interpreted by Palladio) and the Italian Renaissance had the greatest impact on his ‘villa’. In the same way, a series of temples were built with the same inspiration (although the Cavendish family soon demolished them).

The villa’s design was a joint effort between Burlington and William Kent. The villa was not created as a dwelling place, but as a temple of culture – a place filled with Burlington’s extensive art and furniture collections. Burlington’s goal was to establish, to champion and to encourage a new renaissance in England which would later be hailed as the iconic ‘Neo-Palladian’ architectural style. Inevitably, the garden also mirrored this style, with the introduction of cedars, cypresses and evergreen oaks, orange trees, and an artificial lake and river giving it the appearance of a Roman garden.

When Burlington died in 1753, the House and Gardens (along with the whole Burlington Estate) was taken over by the Cavendish family (the Dukes of Devonshire), who were, like Burlington, leading members of English culture, but also at the centre of politics.

In the early 19th century under the ownership fo the 6th Duke of Devonshire, the villa took on a whole new image – as the home of exotic fruits and camellias in an 1813 conservatory. In keeping with the Italy-centric nature of the property, an Italian flower garden was created. Not only were the plants exotic, but so were the animals (even including an elephant!). It was here that the monarchs of Britian, Russia and Saxony were entertained.

Perhaps it is fair to say that after this we see the creative and developmental contributions of the owners came to a sudden halt, as during the later 19th century various tenants inhabited the property without incorporating their ideas into the state of the House and Gardens as much. The House had always been a dynamic example of a changing property that was continually influenced by the owners’ passions and ideas, so in a way this side of the House died in the late 19th century. As Chiswick underwent the transition from riverside village to city village, much of the estate surrounding the House was sold off. Eventually, the property fell into the hands of the Tuke family who ran a mental asylum there from 1892 to 1929 for wealthy patients.

In 1929, the House and Gardens came under public ownership. But its future was far from certain. It suffered ww2 bombing, and an attempt in 1948 for it to be demolished.

Eventually it was taken over by English Heritage, and then the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust in 2005.

Today, visitors are welcome to visit the gardens from dawn until dask for free, and visits to the House can be booked (although the House is currently closed until April of this year).

Chiswick House embodies the cultural richness that defines Chiswick as a whole. Just as Chiswick House is the product of the minds of some of the greatest figures in culture, so is Chiswick a place where actors, artists, TV presenters, journalists and so many more people dwell. Chiswick House’s significance is not restrained to Chiswick, nor is it restricted to England. It is a global symbol of the Neo-Palladian architectural movement, and a new ‘rebirth’ of classical history. Chiswick House is a coherent brain splodge of dreams, of ideas, of literature, of architecture and artwork all gathered together in a magnificent temple.

My articles are increasingly becoming focused on local houses. First Hogarth House, and now Chiswick House. Next will likely be Gunnersbury House. I realise that I need not look afar for culture-defining houses and archictecture, the sites at my doorstep will more than suffice! In my local area there is an inexhastible treasure chest of jewels that reveal so much about west London and the world they influenced. I’d highly recommend simply looking around you and acknowledging, admiring, contemplating and developing opinions about what you see. That’s what I am doing and I adore it!