Chiswick House is a neo-Palladian villa in Burlington Lane, Chiswick, in the London Borough of Hounslow, England.
 Chiswick House today |
|
| Type | Historic house |
|---|---|
| Proprietor | London Borough of Hounslow |
| Managed by | English Heritage |
| Size | 65 acres (0.26 km2) |
| Main feature | Palladian villa |
| Other features | Park and garden |
| Public access | Yes |
| Museum | No |
| Exhibition | Yes |
| Region | Greater London |
| Address | Burlington Lane |
| Postcode | London W4 |
| Parking | Yes |
| Shop | Yes |
| Website | EH Chiswick House |
| 51°29′1″N 0°15′31″W / 51.48361°N 0.25861°WCoordinates: 51°29′1″N 0°15′31″W / 51.48361°N 0.25861°W | |
Contents |
History
Chiswick House was inherited by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork, known as "the Apollo of the Arts." The mansion was a medium sized jacobean mansion used as a summer retreat to get away from the heat of London in the same way as Marble Hill, Strawberry Hill and Syon Park were used. He decided to add to the house by building a villa to one side solely to hold his collection of art and furniture. Since there was accommodation provided there was no need for bedrooms in the new annex. The "architect earl" designed it with William Kent and built it in 1726-9. Kent also designed the gardens which according to the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Web site[1] were the inspiration for the English landscape garden.
Burlington's daughter Charlotte married William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, and the house and gardens passed to that family after her early death in the 1750s. The house was used occasionally by the Devonshires, who had many other residences, and they added two small wings to the villa to increase the amount of accommodation. Built in 1788 these were designed by James Wyatt in a sympathetic style, but inimical to the concept of the house as a compact perfectly formed villa, and were removed in 1952.
The 9th Duke of Devonshire sold Chiswick House to Middlesex County Council (with contributions from public subscription including King George V) in 1929[2]. The grounds are now in the care of the London Borough of Hounslow the House is in the care of English Heritage. The garden is open to the public without charge.
Hounslow and English Heritage formed the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust in 2005 to unify the running of the House and Grounds. The Trust will take over administration once the works are complete following an approx GBP 7.6M Heritage Lottery Fund Grant[3] complemented by approx GBP 4M from other sources, for restoration of the Grounds.
The House
The octagonal domed Palladian villa is inspired by the
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.[1]
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.[4] 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 theater 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. [5].
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[6], 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[7].
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.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chiswick House |
- Chiswick House and Gardens Trust
- Chiswick House Friends
- English Heritage
- Chiswick House entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses
- Detailed illustrated discussion of Chiswick
References
- ^ Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Chiswick House and Gardens
- ^ British History Online Chiswick, Other Estates
- ^ Heritage Lottery Fund National Heritage Memorial Fund Lottery Distribution Account For the year ended 31 March 2008
- ^ Yves-Marie Allain and Janine Christiany, L'art des jardins en Europe, Citadelles and Mazenod, Paris, 2006
- ^ Allain and Christiany, pg. 286
- ^ Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Gardens
- ^ Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Guide to the Gardens
- John Harris, The Palladian Revival: Lord Burlington, His Villa and Garden at Chiswick. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994
|
|||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
