The charm of Chiswick is in its period properties, green open spaces, fabulous schools and great connection to London and Heathrow. The restaurants and cafés on Chiswick High Road add to this, but perhaps the biggest attraction is the beautiful riverside scenery. This combination makes Chiswick desirable to families, young professionals and celebrities alike
Chiswick is an enchanting and a very English suburb. To the west of London and well connected by road, rail and tube, it is an interesting mix of old and new. The locals are proud of their historic homes and have campaigned to preserve them. This has resulted in some of the most beautifully restored Georgian riverside properties, Victorian cottages and large Edwardian homes. Bedford Park, the most affluent part of Chiswick, is described as a garden suburb. The houses here — dating back well over a 100 years — still retain their red-brick frontages. In contrast to this are the modest and modern apartment complexes that have sprung up along Chiswick High Road.
Apart from its beautiful historic homes, Chiswick’s advantage lies in its location on one of the sweeping loops of the Thames, ideal for recreational and competitive rowing. The wide roads encourage restaurants and cafés to offer pavement seating, adding to its charm. With all these attractions, Chiswick is perfect for a day out, weekend getaway or taking up residence.
Here are a few ideas on shops to visit, local attractions and Chiswick’s bountiful green spaces.
Fosters’ Bookshop
A family-run business now in the hands of the second generation, Fosters’ Bookshop opened in 1968, but is housed in a shop dating back to the late 18th century. They specialise in first editions, antiquarian books and children’s illustrated books as well as art and literature and have a catalogue of over 7,000 books filling every inch of space.
Address: 183 Chiswick High Road, London W4 2DR
Tel: 0208 995 2768 Website: www.fostersbookshop.co.uk/ Nearest tube station: Turnham Green
The Old Cinema
It’s not old and it’s not a cinema. It is actually a department store selling antique, vintage and retro furniture and furnishings. Housed in a former Edwardian cinema palace, this store opened in 1979 and boasts 10,000 square feet of retail space. There are antique dealers, decorators, artisans, jewellers and designers. Tagged one of the ‘100 best shops’ in the world by Retail Week, this is one of a kind and a browser’s paradise.
Address: 160 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1PR
Tel: 0208 995 4166 Website: www.theoldcinema.co.uk/ Nearest tube station: Turnham Green
Questors Theatre
“London’s most successful amateur theatre,” is how the London Evening Standard described Questors Theatre. Opposite Walpole Park in Ealing, it is one of the largest amateur playhouses in Europe, staging 15 to 20 shows every year, ranging from comedies and modern drama to the classics. This keeps the large playhouse and small studio rather busy.
Address: 12 Mattock Lane, London W5 5BQ
Tel: 0208 567 0011 Website: www.questors.org.uk/
Nearest tube station: Ealing Broadway
The London Museum of Water & Steam
This is independent museum opened in 1975 in the former Kew Bridge pumping station. Since its redevelopment in 2013–14, the museum has acquired a new gallery exhibiting the history of water supply in London, new educational displays, and new interactive and working models. See the massive engines that once pumped Thames water to London’s taps. In the outdoor Splash Zone you can test your muscle power against water-pumping machines throughout the centuries.
Address: Green Dragon Lane, London TW8 0EN Tel: 0208 568 4757
Website: www.waterandsteam.org.uk/
Nearest train station: Kew Bridge
Kew Gardens
These gardens house the largest collection of living plants in the world, more than 30,000 specimens from all around the globe. The colour and texture they bring to the formal gardens is breathtaking. You ‘ll need a full day to enjoy all that the gardens have to offer — the glasshouses, historic buildings, and landscaped gardens with their rare and beautiful plants.
Address: Kew Road, London TW9 3JR
Website: www.kew.org/
Nearest tube station: Kew Gardens
Chiswick House and Gardens
Chiswick House, built in 1729, is a well-preserved example of a neo-Palladian villa style with beautiful historic gardens. The 3rd Earl of Burlington built it to showcase his art collection and the house still displays many of those artworks. The gardens are the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement, inspiring many others around the world, including New York’s Central Park.
Address: Burlington Lane, London W4 2QN
Tel: 0208 995 0508 Website: www.chgt.org.uk/
Nearest train station: Chiswick
Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve
Gunnersbury Triangle was saved from development by the locals and became the first reserve of the London Wildlife Trust. It is now a lively ecological community with woodlands, marsh, meadows and ponds. You may see orange tip butterflies, frogs, newts, woodpeckers and sparrow hawks. People are encouraged to submit their wildlife sightings to build up a picture of London nature.
Address: Bollo Lane, London W4 5LW
Tel: 0773 459 9729 Website: www.wildlondon.org.uk/reserves/gunnersbury-triangle Nearest tube station: Chiswick Park
The Tabard Theatre
This intimate 96-seat theatre was established with a vision to provide opportunities to talented emerging playwrights. It opened in 1985 with Our Blue Heaven. Over the years, it has developed a reputation for experimental theatre and alternative comedy.
Address: 2 Bath Road, London W4 1LW Tel: 0208 995 6035 Website: www.tabardweb.co.uk/ Nearest tube station: Turnham Green
Duke’s Meadows
This riverside park was purchased from the Duke of Devonshire in 1923. In 1998, a group of locals formed Duke’s Meadows Trust to protect it. Bordered by a loop of the Thames, the park has a beautiful water play area and an adventure playground for kids. There is also a golf course, a large meadow for football and general activities, tennis courts, gym and an indoor ski slope.
Address: Dan Mason Drive, London W4 2SH
Tel: 0208 994 3314 Website: www.dukesmeadows.com/ Nearest station: Chiswick
Turnham Green
This public park is divided by a small road with a war memorial on the eastern corner and Chiswick Town Hall on the south side. Local community events, church events and charity table-top sales are held on the green. There is even a travelling funfair.
Address: Chiswick High Road, London W4 Nearest tube station: Turnham Green
WWT London Wetland Centre
The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT) is a conservation charity that manages the London Wetland Centre. It’s a magical place with its bird-spotting hideouts, beautiful wild flowers surrounding the walkways, rain gardens and ponds. It also has a café and play area for kids.
Address: Queen Elizabeth Walk, London SW13 9WT
Tel: 0208 409 4400 Website: www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london/ Nearest train station: Barnes
The Musical Museum
Exhibits at the Musical Museum include a Wurlitzer theatre organ, rare working specimens of reed organs, violin players and player pianos. The three-storey museum contains the world’s largest collection of self-playing musical instruments and historic musical rolls. There is also a concert hall that can function as a cinema and seats up to 230 people. Open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, the museum is mostly run by volunteers.
Address: 399 High Street, Brentford TW8 0DU
Tel: 0208 560 8108 Website: www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/ Nearest train station: Kew Bridge
Locals refer to Chiswick as a paradise in the countryside. This affluent and desirable suburb on one of the meanders of the Thames attracts people to settle for the long term. From its tree-lined streets and Edwardian and Victorian houses, to recently developed apartments and townhouses around private gardens, from its sporting attractions and ornately landscaped gardens to its retail shops, changing times have only enhanced the vitality of Chiswick.
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