Latest Blog Post: 18 November 2008

Closure of the Kitchen Garden during 2009

The Kitchen Garden at Chiswick House will be closed from January 2009 for a year, during building works. A new central and perimeter path will be laid, the walls will be re-pointed and wired for fruit trees, and all the trees apart from one oak and the mulberry will be cleared from the walled gardens. Restoring the Kitchen Garden as a garden is part of the reason that we exist, so we are very pleased that the paths and walls are to be fixed and the area is to be laid out as a garden (southern) and an orchard (northern).

We have been in discussion with the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust over access during this necessarily disruptive work. The Trust has confirmed to us that for safety reasons they will not permit access by children starting in January 2009. They have also confirmed that adult drop-in sessions will not be permitted from January but that they will review in June whether those sessions can be restarted. (... continues)

The blog ...

In Brief ...

The walled gardens at Chiswick House date from 1682, when they were created by Sir Stephen Fox, boss to Samuel Pepys and financier to Charles II. In 1812 they were added to the neighbouring grounds of the more famous Chiswick House (history ...). After Chiswick House and Grounds were purchased by public subscription in 1929 the Kitchen Garden faded from memory, being left neglected and closed to the public. One day a local resident climbed over the wall ...

Chiswick House Kitchen Garden started work as an association in early 2005, completely volunteer-led and run, dedicated to reviving the gardens and teaching local children (and adults) about horticulture and growing food. We aim to restore the two-and-a-half acre walled gardens to a state of beauty, productivity and sustainability (our objects).

We run drop-in sessions every week, open work sessions once a month, open days for all to come and look, gardening sessions for local schoolchildren during the week, after-school gardening clubs, teenagers' Duke of Edinburgh sessions, green gym digging work-outs, etc etc.

You are most welcome to contact us and to visit. Please check out the latest developments on TDK's blog, make a note of when to come and do some work, or visit the gardens on one of the Open Days.