The gardens at Chiswick House are a cool place to stroll in the London heatwave.
There are 65 acres of gardens laid out by William Kent in the 18th century. It is a haven for wildlife as well as dog walkers.
There are delightful classical fabriques, artfully positioned to catch the eye. A fine example is the Ionic Temple, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. It is usually photographed from the front, across a curved lawn amphitheatre with a circular pool with an obelisk in the centre. Indeed that view was on this website in June 2016. But it looks just as elegant from the back.
There is a gateway designed by Inigo Jones for Hans Sloane’s house in Chelsea. Lord Burlington bought it and found a site in the grounds at Chiswick.
It is a haven of tranquility in a hot, over-crowded, noisy city and a fractured country. Whatever lies ahead the gardens at Chiswick will provide solace.
Fractured?
Donald. Boris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeC0-PO2BVw
As a point of interest, Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, Chairman of English Heritage (estate owners) in the 1980s, told me local garden users were “dog shit lovers” at a gay party !
Perhaps off message but the pizza place near Gloucester Road that had dancing downstairs was known as the dog shit disco in the 1970s.
Parthenon or Pantheon?
Pantheon and I’ve fixed the mistake.