Chiswick house and gardens and other fun things to do in west london

We visited Chiswick house and gardens at the very end of our 4 weeks of travelling in England. We stayed at various places all across London – in the north(Finchley), north-east(Seven Sisters), east(Ilford), southwest(Streatham), central (various places) and now we are in west London (Chiswick) so that we can get to Heathrow easily for our return flight back to New Zealand via Singapore. It’s great that the kids are so adaptable and happy to move 11 times during our 4 weeks here!

Besides all the fun and interesting places we got to visit in London, and of course the quality time with all the wonderful family and friends we stayed with here, it was interesting seeing the demography of people and neighbourhoods across the greater London region, it is all so diverse and each area unique and distinct in its own way. And don’t get me started on all the delicious world cuisine we got to sample everywhere! We had Vietnamese, South Indian, Japanese, Italian, Polish, Chinese, and Malaysian food this trip – this really is one of the best part of travelling in London 🙂

We visited Chiswick house and gardens during our stay in West London. It was a fun day out for both the kids and myself – relaxing, free entrance and lots of outdoor green space for the kids to enjoy! Some interesting historical facts about the gardens:

One of the most important gardens in English history as it had started the English Landscape Movement and had gone on to inspire countless gardens including New York’s Central Park.

It was here that Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and William Kent experimented with a natural style of gardening which had continued to grow and spread worldwide

There are 65 acres of woodlands, sweeping lawns, rose gardens with various points of beautiful sculpture, bridges and the stunning house itself that one can explore

For more information of all the different parts and their history, see here.

Obelisk

Classical stone bridge in Chiswick House grounds

You can get here using various modes of transport. Nearest tube station is Turnham Green (District Line) and you can also get here via overground and bus. Getting here by car: Sign-posted from A4 west of Hogarth Roundabout (junction with A316) via brown tourist board signs. There is car parking available.

The gardens and conservatory are free to explore and open all year round from 7am to dusk. The House is open Sunday to Wednesday and bank holidays 10am – 6pm. Admission costs for the house are:

Adult: £6.30
Children (Age 5-15): £3.80
Family Ticket (2 adults, up to 3 children): £16.40
Concession: £5.70
Children under 5 and English Heritage Members, National Art Pass Members: FREE
The House and the sculptured lawns outside was more than enough for us and we didn’t pay to visit inside. There is a lovely cafe and play area which the kids made good use of once we were done exploring all the different areas.

The Amphitheatre at Chiswick House

One of the things we love best when travelling in England is visiting different historical estates, houses, castles and gardens that are preserved so well by organizations like the National Trust and English Heritage. We have visited quite a few during our 10 years in England. National Parks would be our favourite past time here (and most other places) and the best part of visiting natural places in England is being able to combine the outdoors along with fun learning and exploring historical heritage. What was really fun for Shama about Chiswick house and gardens were the many trees that were great for climbing!

And being able to do all of this with good friends was added bonus 🙂 We are really lucky to have so many good friends based in London! Makes our travels in expensive London tad bit cheaper (not having to pay for accommodation), makes it more fun to have locals show us around their neighbourhood and get good restaurant recommendations. BIG THANK YOU to all our friends and family who have hosted us during these 4 weeks in England!

Other places of interest that is fun for the family and based outdoors in this part of West London were Richmond Park and London Wetland Centre. Richmond Park is the largest royal park in London and is a National Nature Reserve, London’s largest Site of Special Scientific Interest and a European Special Area of Conservation. It is home to large herds of Red and Fallow deer. We did make it to the Wetland Centre and would highly recommend it to others visiting London, see here for my other post of fun and family friendly places we got to visit in London this trip.

Now to write about two of my personal favourite places in London – Camden and Hamstead Heath – and a new one for us on this trip – exploring Streatheam and Tooting Commons. London is one of those places that I know I don’t want to live and work in – the hustle and bustle of the city, the fast paced lifestyle, the expensiveness of it all – none of it is appealing, but it is definitely one of my favourite cities to visit and I feel very lucky that we got to spend quality travel time here when we lived in England the past ten years.

See this post on  Top 25 Things to do in England, many of which we absolutely LOVE and have done several times over the years!

Linked to #MondayEscapes