London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [88]
EXPLORING CHISWICK AND KEW
Chiswick House.
Completed in 1729 by the 3rd Earl of Burlington (of Burlington House—home of the Royal Academy—and Burlington Arcade fame), this extraordinary Palladian mansion was envisaged as a kind of temple to the arts. Burlington was fascinated by the architecture he saw in Italy while on the Grand Tour as a young man. When his country home was destroyed by fire in 1725, he seized the chance to rebuild it in homage to those classical and Renaissance styles. The building is loosely modeled on the Villa Capra near Vicenza, while the colonnaded frontage is a partial replica of the Pantheon in Rome (which also inspired the domed roof).
The sumptuous interiors were the work of William Kent (1685–1748), his most extraordinary achievement being the Blue Velvet Room, with its gilded decoration and intricate painted ceiling. The design of Chiswick House sparked a great deal of interest—such ideas were radical in England at the time—and you’ll see its influence reflected in numerous later buildings. The rambling gardens are one of the hidden gems of West London. Italianate in style (of course), they are filled with classical temples, statues, and obelisks. A £12 million restoration of the grounds was completed in 2010, adding a new café and a children’s play area. | Burlington La., Chiswick | W4 2RP | 020/8995–0508 | www.chgt.org.uk | £5 | Grounds daily 7–dusk; house daily 10–4, Mar.–Oct. | Turnham Green, Chiswick.
Hogarth’s House.
Besieged by a roaring highway that somewhat spoils the atmosphere, the home of the satirist and painter William Hogarth (1697–1764) is still worth a visit by art lovers, especially for fans of his amusing, moralistic engravings (such as “The Rake’s Progress” and “Marriage à la Mode”). At this writing, Hogarth House is preparing to reopen after a long period of restoration because of fire damage in 2008. This will include an expanded museum, with new exhibits and educational programs. Hogarth’s tomb can be found in the cemetery of St. Nicholas’s church on Chiswick Mall. | Hogarth La., Great West Rd., Chiswick | W4 2QN | 020/8994–6757 | www.hounslow.info/arts/hogarthshouse | Free | Tentative at this writing, but probably Apr.–Sept., Tues.–Fri. 1–5, weekends 1–6; Oct.–Mar., Tues.–Fri. 1–4, weekends 1–5 | Turnham Green.
QUICK BITES: Pubs are the name of the game here at Chiswick’s portion of the Thames. Many pubs sit on the bank of the river, offering watery vistas to accompany stout pints of brew. The Blue Anchor (13 Lower Mall, Hammersmith | W6 9DJ | 020/8748–5774 | www.blueanchorlondon.com) is a cozy 18th-century watering hole, with rowing memorabilia lining the walls. The City Barge (27 Strand-on-the-Green, Chiswick | W4 3PH | 020/8994–2148) on the north bank of the Thames has a lovely riverside terrace and honest pub grub. The Dove Inn (19 Upper Mall, Hammersmith | W6 9TA | 020/8748–9474) retains the charm of its 300-plus-year heritage. If you can find a spot on the tiny terrace, it’s a tranquil place to watch the energetic oarsmen. The food is good here, too (especially Sunday lunch).
Kew Gardens.
Enter Kew Gardens and you are enveloped by blazes of color, extraordinary blooms, hidden trails, magnificent buildings, and centuries of endeavor aimed at getting to grips with the mysteries of plants that entrance, medicate, and excite. Even today academics are hard at work on more than 300 scientific projects across as many acres, researching everything from the cacti of eastern Brazil to the yams of Madagascar. First opened to the public in 1840, Kew has been supported by royalty and nurtured by landscapers, botanists, and architects since the 1720s, and with more than 30,000 species of plants, there is interest and beauty in spades.
Although the plant houses make Kew worth visiting even in the depths of winter (there’s also a seasonal garden), the flower beds come into their own in spring and summer.
Kew