It was pretty much a case of sticking a pin in the map on Sunday morning when we woke up in London and decided to stop off for a walk before heading home. Though the map was actually a book called “Secret London” and the pin was Mr B’s thumb as he flicked through the index. Chiswick House, unsurprisingly is in Chiswick, and is a House that Mr B and I have driven past hundreds, if not thousands of times. But hidden behind high walls, we had never seen it, or the 65 acres of gardens.
The gardens are free to wander around and open from 7am until dark and after a restoration project a couple of years ago are now back to their original glory. And as it was a gorgeous morning we decided to just wander the gardens and come back to the house on another day. Although we did manage to squeeze in a cup of tea and a flapjack, because, well because when you visit a House or garden you have to, it’s the law. And it struck me that this place is buzzing. It wasn’t just tourists like us, but local families were out and about with children on bikes and scooters, running around, and having picnics. This really is a public space that is being used to its full potential. Yes it might have been where the Beatles filmed A Hard Day’s Night but this isn’t a place that has been wrapped in tissue and preserved, it has been restored and loved, and thrown its doors open.
If you want to know more about the history of the house you can read about here: Chiswick House
As a lover of windows though what I loved, really loved, were the “windows” in the grounds that form part of an audio tour. Strategically placed so you can see something just beyond their metal frames, I couldn’t resist taking some photos of them, so it is those rather than the windows of the house that feature on this Window Wednesday post. Odd, I know, to be featuring windows in a garden not a house, but you know me
And of course Mr B can’t see an arch and not go and stand under it:
Which is fine because when I see statue posing, I can’t resist joining in
It really was hard to comprehend that this oasis sits in a part of London where one of the busiest roads runs just beyond the wall, and where planes coming into Heathrow fly overhead. I cannot begin to imagine what the land would be worth to developers and I love that as a city London has these green open spaces to be enjoyed by families.
And wildlife. I have never been a photographer of wildlife, windows are more my thing but I couldn’t help capturing these two chaps:
So if you do find yourself heading out of London on the A4, park in a side street for free and go for a wander and a cuppa. Don’t keep going and stop at the services or do a drive through overpriced mass produced coffee. Stop off here have a proper cuppa from a teapot, a flapjack, and wander the gardens.
We shall definitely be back to explore the house