| House & Gardens |
Introduction |
Chiswick House Friends is a charitable trust that was established in 1984 to support the restoration, preservation and enhancement of Chiswick House and its gardens for the benefit of all. On this website you can learn more about Chiswick House and Gardens, and the activities that take place there. We provide you with news about the plans for development of the grounds, and you can find out about the Friends, our events and the projects we are supporting. We are very keen to encourage as many people as possible from the local community to join us, to help support our projects that help to improve the House and Grounds. The Friends provides a way to voice the views of the local community who love and use the park. It is also a good way to keep informed of the progress of the Heritage Lottery Fund grant which will go towards the cost of restoring, repairing and revitalising this unique park, and providing sustainable resources for its care in the future. Here you can find out how to get to the House, access links to other related organisations and download our recent newsletters. We'll keep you informed about the ways you can have your say about the house and gardens and, last but not least, find details about how to join us! |
What's Happening in the House & Gardens |
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Every week Chiswick House and Gardens play host to a wide range of activities, volunteer groups and societies. Here you will find details of the most popular groups and their contact details or weblinks. The Friends website would be pleased to help publicise other activities where possible. Please contact us.
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Dates For Your Diary |
Have Your Say |
The Friends offer the local community the opportunity to express their views and opinions about what's happening in the house and gardens. We will be liasing with the newly formed Chiswick House and Gardens Trust (www.chgt.org.uk) over the future development and restoration of the site and the opportunities provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund bid. There will be regular public meetings in the future, dates to be advised - please check this site on a regular basis. |
Could you become a Chiswick House Tour Guide? |
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The English Heritage team at Chiswick House need more guides for Chiswick House tours. Could you help? |
Volunteers |
Would you be interested in supporting the Friends' activities? We always need volunteers to help with a variety of events; it is a great way to meet people in the community and would suit anyone with a few hours to spare.
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Book now for autumn events in the House |
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Janiculum concert 1st October Following the tremendous success of the 2007 concert we are delighted to announce that Janiculum, the 18th century revivalists, will be performing at the House again on 1 October 2008. The Friends' Annual Drinks Party 17th September Join the Friends for our annual party in the house. This is a chance to introduce potential new members too. Click here for ticket application form An evening with historian Caroline Knight: 25th September 2008 Dumfries House, also a Palladian treasure like Chiswick House, was saved for the nation at the eleventh hour by a consortium of charities, led by the Prince of Wales. Caroline Knight, the noted architectural historian specialising in British architecture of the 16th - 18th centuries will give a talk on Thursday 25 September about the history of Dumfries House and its amazing contents. |
Membership |
By joining the Friends you are contributing to the long term future of Chiswick House and Gardens, and can also add your voice to the influence we have for the future of the site. |
The Lottery Project |
The Friends have been involved, one way or another, in the seeking of Heritage Lottery money for the restoration of the grounds for almost 10 years. In 1998, we recognised that the slow deterioration we could see taking place was unlikely to be reversed by future funding policies at Hounslow, and we supported their initiative to apply to the Lottery Fund the following year. |
Shop |
Cards |
Events |
There are numerous events in the house and gardens. The Friends are responsible for some of these. We put great emphasis on activities that involve the community in ways that are appropriate to the setting and to the wishes of our members.
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Chiswick House Friends Say NO to Heathrow Expansion |
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Earlier this spring the Friends mounted a campaign against the expansion of Heathrow. The trustees felt that the new runway 3 flight-path, the end of alternation and the increase in flights from 473,000 a year to over 700,000, would pose a serious threat to the peace and atmosphere of the House and gardens. |
News Updates |
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Gardens restoration update The grand plan to restore the gardens has now cleared its most important hurdles. In December the London Borough of Hounslow gave its unanimous approval and planning consent. With the benefit of this endorsement the Heritage Lottery Fund gave stage two approval in January and has pledged £7.6m towards the £12 million project to restore the grounds of Chiswick House. We are now in the last stages of completing the detailed agreement for the main works to commence. In the meantime preliminary clearing of parts of the site has started. Work will be phased through the gardens and notices will keep the public informed about which areas are currently in the hands of the contractors. During the works the Avenue will, for safety reasons, be closed to pedestrians for most of the time, although access will be unrestricted via most other gates. Any cars using the site will need to be cleared by the contractors, but will be able to service key areas such as the café as well as various events in the gardens, including the Friends' Night at the Opera on 26 June. (See news and events page for more information) The café will stay open until July after which time it is expected that a mobile café will be sited in the area of the cricket pavilion, until the new facility, a new café, is opened. Cricket fund-raising dinner a huge success This January three ex Captains of English cricket - Chris Cowdrey, Mike Gatting and Tom Graveney joined forces with local Chiswick supporters at a special fund-raising dinner to improve the cricket facilities at Chiswick House. They were backed by cricket luminaries Chris Adams, Ian Salisbury, Simon Hughes and Patrick Eagar. Friends donate bicycle and trailer to Head Gardener Many local people have enjoyed and benefited from Fiona Crumley's expert guided tours round the gardens which have reassured many people about tree management. The Friends have agreed to provide Fiona with a suitable bicycle and trailer to help transport the necessary tools to outlying parts of the gardens. Fiona has agreed to give a short talk about the tasks facing her at our AGM which is on Monday 16th June, when we hope to see many Friends. Kitchen Garden Association Open Days |
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