Chiswick House & Gardens

About the museum

Chiswick House was designed by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and built around 1726 to 1729 next to an older Jacobean house. Burlington had returned from Italy with a passion for the architecture of Andrea Palladio and ancient Rome, and he used the villa to display his art collection and to entertain friends. The artist and designer William Kent worked on the interiors and on the gardens, which are among the earliest landscape gardens in England.

After Burlington's death the estate passed by marriage to the Dukes of Devonshire. In the late 18th century Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, made it a meeting place for leading Whig politicians, and both Charles James Fox and George Canning died in the house. From 1892 the villa was used as a private asylum, and in 1929 Middlesex County Council bought it. Wings added to the villa were removed in 1956 after bomb damage and decay.

The house is now Grade I listed. English Heritage owns it, and since 2010 it has been managed with its gardens by the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust. The gardens are free to enter, and the Italian Garden, the lake and the Kitchen Garden can be visited, while the villa itself is closed for building work until early summer 2027.

Highlights

• Neo-Palladian villa with a Pantheon-inspired dome
• Blue Velvet Room and Red Velvet Room with painted ceilings
• One of England's earliest landscape gardens, with lake and cascade
• Walled Kitchen Garden with seasonal produce
• Café, children's playground and 65 acres of grounds

Permanent exhibition

• The Villa State Rooms – The upstairs rooms of the villa, including the Blue Velvet Room and Red Velvet Room, show painted ceilings and paintings and introduce the people who lived in the house. The villa is closed until early summer 2027.

Founded

1725

Operated by

Chiswick House and Gardens Trust

Admission & discounts

The gardens and Kitchen Garden are free to enter; only the house needs a ticket, and it is currently closed. The prices shown are the most recently published house prices. Family tickets are half price on Family Fridays when booked with the code published on the website.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

In the villa the ground floor is accessible although some doorways are narrow, but the main floor is reached only by steep spiral staircases and there is no lift; a tablet offers a virtual tour of the upstairs rooms. The café is step-free with automatic doors. Most garden paths are level or gently sloping gravel, and a steep section on the Classic Bridge can be avoided by a signed detour. There is an accessible toilet in the house and an accessible bathroom next to the café. Three Blue Badge spaces are in the public car park, about five minutes from the house, and spaces nearer the house can be booked by email. Assistance dogs are welcome, and large print, transcripts and braille are available at the ticket desk. Visitors who feel anxious are invited to contact the team beforehand.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

There is a playground for under-7s next to the café, and the café has a children's menu. A free children's audio guide is included with a house ticket, and family events and workshops run throughout the year. Pushchairs are welcome in the grounds but must be folded and left in a small buggy park at the house entrance. Baby changing is in the toilets by the café. Birthday parties can be booked at indoor venues, and schools can book visits.

Getting there & parking

The satnav postcode is W4 2QN. There is no coach parking in the gardens; coaches can set down at the bus stop on the A316 before the Hogarth Roundabout. Bike racks are at the park entrances and near the house and café.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available

The café, run by Colicci, serves coffee, cakes and sourdough pizzas and is open daily. The shop is inside the house. There is no cloakroom, so visitors should only bring bags they can carry. Dogs are not allowed in the house or the shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Venues include the villa, the courtyards, the Garden Pavilion, the Learning Hub and Yard and the Kitchen Garden. They can be hired for weddings, corporate events, parties and filming.

Plan your visit