Chiswick House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chiswick House is a neo-Palladian, neoclassical villa in Burlington Lane, Chiswick, in the London Borough of Hounslow, England.
 Chiswick House today |
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| Type | Historic house |
|---|---|
| Proprietor | London Borough of Hounslow |
| Managed by | English Heritage |
| Size | 65 acres (0.26 km2) |
| Main feature | Palladian villa |
| Other features | Park and garden |
| Public access | Yes |
| Museum | No |
| Exhibition | Yes |
| Country | England |
| Region | Greater London |
| Address | Burlington Lane |
| Postcode | London W4 2RP |
| Refreshments | new cafe set to open on February 1st, 2010 |
| Parking | Yes |
| Shop | Yes |
| Website | EH Chiswick House |
| 51°29′1″N 0°15′31″W / 51.48361°N 0.25861°WCoordinates: 51°29′1″N 0°15′31″W / 51.48361°N 0.25861°W | |
Contents |
[edit] History
Chiswick House was inherited by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork(1694-1753), known as "the Apollo of the Arts" by his friend Alexander Pope. The mansion was a medium sized Jacobean house and used as a summer retreat to get away from the heat of London in the same way as Marble Hill, Strawberry Hill and Syon Park were used (the town house that the Burlington's used the rest of the year was Burlington House in Piccadilly, today the Royal Academy). Lord Burlington decided to add to the house by building a Villa to one side to contain his large collection of art and furniture, much of which was purchased on his first 'Grand Tour' in 1714.[1] As accommodation was already provided in the old Jacobeon House and stable block, there was little need for bedrooms in the new annex. The "architect earl" designed Chiswick House with the aid of William Kent between 1726 and 1729. Kent also took a leading role in designing the gardens, which are regarded as the protype for the first 'English Landscape Garden', a mode of garden in which many aspects of the garden were deformalised and incorporated poetic and theatrical elelemnts in an attempt to ensure 'variety' within the landscape.
Richard Boyle married Miss Dorothy Savile and thier union produced three daughters. However, all three were to die before the age of twenty four. The last living daughter was Charlotte who married William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, and the house and gardens passed to the Cavendish family after Lady Burlingtn's death in her bedchamber at Chiswick in 1758. The house was then used occasionally by the Devonshires, who had other residences (including Devonshire House, Bolton Abbey and Listmore Castle in Ireland), and added two small wings to the Villa to increase the amount of accommodation. Built in 1788 by the architect John white, these were designed in a sympathetic style, but inimical to the concept of the house as a compact perfectly formed Villa, and were removed by the Ministry of Works in 1952.
Important visitors to Chiswick Villa and Gardens.
Although little is known of the people who stayed or visted Chiswick Villa in Lord Burlington's lifetime, many important visitors to the property are recorded as visiting in the preceding years. These included leading figures of the Europeon 'Enlightenment' including the philosopher's Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the future American Presidents John Adam and Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin,the Italian statesmen Giuseppe Gariboldi, Russian Tsars Nicholas I and Alexander I, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Sir Walter Scott, Prince Leopold III of Worlitz, Prime Minister Robert Walpole and Queen Caroline, the third Earl of Bute and William Burges,and the current Prince Charles and Princess Margaret.
Within the Villa the Whig leader Charles Fox died in the Bedchamber and the Prime Minister George Canning died in one of the wing buildings.
Later History
Between 1892 and 1929 the Villa was rented to the Tuke family and functioned as a mental hospital for wealthy male and female patients. The Tukes were Quakers and were regarded as pioneers in the treatment of ill health and where possible used holistic methords to try and cure patients.
The first V2 bomb to hit London landed near Chiswick House killing several people.
In the interwar years the Villa become a fire station
In 1966, The Beatles shot films for their two songs called "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" in the grounds - many of the shots being in the conservatory among the camellias.
The ashes of British actor, broadcaster and songwriter Michael Flanders are scattered in the grounds.
In 2009 the facade of the house was used as the setting for the Biffy Clyro music video for the single "That Golden Rule".
The 9th Duke of Devonshire sold Chiswick House to Middlesex County Council (with contributions from public subscription including King George V) in 1929[2]. The grounds are currently in the care of the London Borough of Hounslow the House is in the care of English Heritage. The garden is open to the public without charge.
Hounslow council and English Heritage formed part the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust in 2005 to unify the running of the House and Gardens. The Trust will take over administration for the Villa and Gardens on April 1st 2010 following the completion of the restoration worksHeritage Lottery Fund Grant[3] complemented by approx GBP 4M from other sources, for restoration of the Grounds.
[edit] The House
Lord Burlington's finest architectural creation, Chiswick Villa, is inspired in part by several buildings of the sixteen century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, and is often incorrectly stated as being a more or less direct copy of Palladio's most famous villa, the Villa Capra "La Rotonda" near [[Vicenza]. However, recent research has confirmed that the architecture of Chiswick House is more indebted to Roman sources which Lord Burlington came into contact with on his two Grand Tours, than any one building by Palladio. The architectural historian Richard Hewlings[4] has established that the architecture at Chiswick House was an attempt by Lord Burlington to create a Roman Villa situated in Roman gardens. Palladio exerted an important influence on Lord Burlington through his reconstructions of Roman buildings, many of which were never published but were purchased by Lord Burlington and contained in the Blue Velvet Room within the Villa. These reconstructions of Roman buildings by Palladio were the source for many of the varied spacial forms within Burlington's Villa,including the use of the octagon, circle and rectangular rooms with aspses. Possible the most influential building reconstructed by Palladio and used at Chiswick was the monumental Roman Bath Houses of Diocletian, and references to this building can be found in the Domed Hall, Gallery, Library and Link rooms.
Burlington's use of Roman sources can be viewed in the Dome of the Villa which is derived from the Pantheon in Rome. The finely carved capitals on the prostyle, systyle, hexastyle portico were carved by John Boson and are derived from the Temple of Juipiter Stator. The inset door,projecting plinth and rusticated vermiculation (resembling 'tufa') were all derived from the base of Trajan's Column. The short sections of crenulated wall which extend out either side of the Vlla are inspired by their use by Palladio and Inigo Jones;- and to reinforce this link two full lenght statues of Palladio and Jones by the celebrated sculptor Michael Rysbrack are positioned in front of these sections of wall. Palladio's influence can also be found in the general cubic form of the Villa with its central Hall with other rooms leading off a its axis. The Villa is a half cube of 70 feet by 70 feet by 35 feet. Inside are rooms of 10 feet square, 15 feet square and 15 feet by 20 feet by 25 feet.
On the portico leading to the Domed Hall is positioned a bust of the Roman Emperor Augustus. The Emperor Augustus was regarded by many of the early eighteenth century English aristocracy as the greatest of all the Roman Emperors (the early Georgian era was known as the 'Augustan' age). This link with the Emperor Augustus was reinforced in the garden at Chiswick through the presence of Egypianizing objects such as sphinxes (who symbolically guard the 'Temple' front and rear), obelisks and stone lions. Lord Burlington and his contempararies were conscious of the fact that it was Augustus who invaded Egypt and brought back Egyptian objects and erected them in Rome. As such Grand Tourists visiting Rome would have regarded such objects as Roman. Augustus was viewed through eighteenth century eyes as a peacemaker would had brought to an end the civil wars. In his own words he "found Rome clay and left it marble". Augustus was also seen to have transformed Rome architecturally into a city fit to rule an expanding Empire, whilst carrying out largescale public works for the good of his Roman people. The Roman architect Vitruvius was also writing in the age of Augustus, a fact not lost on Lord Burlington. The origins of Rome were made manifest at Chiswick through Burlington's strategic deployment of statues, including a statue of a wolf (used to inspire nostalgic memories to the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus) and a boar located at the rear of the villa (symbolic of the great Boar hunt). Inside the Villa many references to the Roman goddess Venus abound, as Venus was the mother of Aeneas who fled Troy and co-founded Rome. On the forecourt to the Villa are several 'Term' statues who derive their forms from the Roman god Terminus, the god of distance and space. Such items therefore are used as boundry markers, positioned in the hedge at set distances apart. At the rear of the Villa were positioned 'Herm' statues that derive from the Greek god Hermes, the patron of travellers and thus are welcoming figures for all who wish to visit Lord Burlington's gardens (Lord Burlington's gardens at Chiswick were the most visited of all London villas).
Lord Burlington's intentions for his Villa have never been established and received much speculation. Lord Hervey, for example, described the newly built Villa as 'To little to live in, and to big to hang to ones watch'. However, what is certain is that the Villa was never intended for occupation as it contained no kitchens and space for only three beds on the ground floor. It is possible that one purpose of the Villa was as a Art Gallery as inventories show over 167 painting hanging in situ at Chiswick House in Lord Burlington's lifetime, many purchsed on his two Grand Tours of Europe in 1714 and 1718.
Other interpetations of Chiswick House.
1. As a Masonic Temple
Chiswick House is believed by some to have been built as a Masonic lodge or temple, and English Heritage, which administers the site, offers a tour exploring the building's Masonic symbolism.[1]. This theory has some merit as the ceiling paintings by William Kent in the Red, Blue, Gallery, Domed Hall and Summer Parlour Rooms in the Villa have all been shown to contain iconograghy of a strong Masonic and Hermetic character[5]. Masonic iconogaghy has also been detected within the gardens.
Freemasonry in England officially started with the coming together of four lodges in London in 1717. However, it is known that Freemasons existed as far back as at least the mid seventeenth century and almost certainly earlier streching back to medieval times. From the early 1720s Freemasonry was to expand at a increasing rate with many of the aristocracy becoming 'brothers' by 1750. For example, the poet Alexander Pope,the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, the Whig leader Robert Walpole, the thesbian Davidd Garrick,the painters Sir James Thornhill and William Hogarth,and the antiquarian William Stukely were all known Freemasons.
Lord Burlington's status as an important Freemason is indicated by his inclusion in the Freemason's Pocket Companion of 1736 and in a poem in James Anderson's Constitutions of the Free Masons of 1723 where he is linked to an illusrious line of personalities in Freemasonry's legendary history:
Then in our songs be justice done To those who have enrich'd the Art, From Jabal down to Burlington And let each Brother bear a part Let noble Masons' Healths go round Their praise in lofty Lodge resound.
Lord Burlington was also involved in building projects for aristocrates such as Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester at Holkham Hall, Norfolk, and Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, at Goodwood House. Both men were Grand Masters of the Freemasons at the time of Lord Burlington's and William Kent's involement.
A masonic pipe was found in the gardens at Chiswick by English Heritage archeologists in 2008.
2. As a Royal Palace in waiting for the return of the exiled Stuart Monarchy.[6]
In 1995 the historian Jane Clark published a paper on the purpose of Chiswick House which caused a sensation in art history circles. In her paper Lord Burlington is Here[7] Clark claimed that Lord Burlington led a double life and that instead of being a loyal, Whig aristocrate in support of the newly installed Hanoverian regime,that he was infact a secret Jacobite supporter who secretly was aiding the the return of the exiled Stuart monarchy. For Clark the true purpose of Chiswick Villa was as a symbolic Royal Palace which awaited the return of the exiled 'Kings over water' who were destined to rule by Divine Right. This theory was futher strenghtened by the recent research of the late Giles Worsley who illustrated that certain 'Palladian' features used by Inigo Jones were only utilised in Royal buildings or building linked to Royalty.[8] These features, employed by Lord Burlington at his Villa at Chiswick,were the Serliana and the Portico. Worsley also pointed out that the unexecuted designs of Whitehall Palace by Jones and Webb were also influenced by the Temple of Jerusalem, which Lord Burlington owned and housed at Chiswick Villa.
[edit] The Gardens
The gardens, like the villa, were inspired by the architecture of ancient Rome combined with the influence of poetry and literature. Authors such as Pliny and his descriptions of his own gardens were particularly important,with his descriptions of gardens with alleys shaded by trees, parterres, topiary, and fountains.[9] The first architect of the gardens appears to have been the King's gardener,Charles Bridgeman, who worked on them until 1720, and then William Kent, whom Lord Burlington had met during his first journey to Italy in 1714 and brought back with him on his return from his second Grand Tour in 1719. Willaim Kent was also inspired by the picture-postcards scenes of the French artists Nicholas Poussin and Claude Leraine. The poet Alexander Pope, who lived closed by in Twikenham, was also involved and responsible for confirming Lord Burlington's belief that Roman and Greek gardens were largely informal affiars, with nature ruled by God. Burlington, Kent and Pope were also informed by the writings of the third Earl of Shaftsbury who advicated 'variety' in a garden, not complete informalisation.
The gardens at Chiswick were filled with fabriques(garden buildings) which illustrated Lord Burlington's knowledge of Roman,Egyptian Greek, and Renaissance architecture, and statues and architecture which expressed his Whig (and very possibly Jacobite) ideals. The garden included an area known as the 'Orange Tree Garden' which included a small model of the Pantheon in Rome, its portico based on the Temple of Fortuna Virilis with a small obelisk positioned before the Temple in the centre of a circular pool of water. Another obelisk was erected at the centre of another 'Goose Foot' beyond the cascade to West of the Villa. A theater of hedges known as an exedra was designed by William Kent and originaly displayed ancient statues of three unknown Roman gentlemen. However, these three statues were later speculatively 'identified' by the writer Danial Defoe as Caesar and Pompey, responsible for the decline of the Roman republic facing a statue of Cicero, the defender of the Republic. This was intended as a criticism of the policies of Burlington's opponent, Prime Minister Robert Walpole. [10].However, it was the figures of Homer, Virgil, Socrates, Lucius Verus and Lycurgus which once graced the Exedra whose political message was one of democracy and anti-tyranny. (William Kent made a similar statment against Walpole for Lord Cobham at Stowe[11]). The origial design by William Kent for the end of the Exedra was a stone 'Temple of Worthies' which was rejected by Lord Burlington and subsequently used by Lord Cobham at Stowe.
William Kent also added a cascade (a symbolic Grotto), inspired by the upper cascade of the gardens of the Villa Aldbrandini. Kent's garden also featured a flower garden, an orchard, an aviary and a symetrical planned arrangment of trees known as the 'Grove' To the side of the Grove was a Paite Dior, or 'Goosefoot', three avaenues which terminated by buildings including the 'Bagnio' (or casino, designed by Lord Burlington and Colen Campbell), the 'Pagan Temple' (designed by the Catholic Baroque architect James Gibbs) and the Rustic House (designed by Lord Burlington).
Near the second Deer House, also designed by Lord Burlington, stood a Doric column on which was placed a statue of the Venus di Medici. In the eighteenth century statues of Venus were the most common statue in a garden as it was known that the goddess Venus was the protector of gardens and gardeners. The statue that can be seen on the Doric column today is a copy in portland stone and was commissioned by the Chiswick House Friends in 2009.
The lawn at the rear of the house was created by 1745 and planted with young Cedar of Lebenon trees which alternate with stone urns which were designed by William Kent. Placed between the urns and the Cedar of Lebenon are three more sphinxes who are orientated to face the Easterly direction of the rising sun. A lake was created around 1727 by widening the Bollo Brook. The excess earth was then heaped up behind William Kent's cascade to produce an elevated walkway for people to admire the gardens and also offered a view of the near by river Thames. The Classic Bridge located beyond the Orange Tree Garden was built for the famous Georgiana,glamerous wife of the fifth Duke of Devonshire, and was constructed in 1774 to the designs ofJames Wyatt.
A gateway designed by Inigo Jones in 1621 at Beaufort House in Chelsea and was removed bu Lord Burlington and rebuilt in the gardens at Chiswick in 1738.
The grounds has two "wilderness" areas and numerous other features described at Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Web site[12].
The grounds of Moreton Hall, an adjoining property to the East were added in 1812, the Hall itself was demolished. The Italian Garden was laid out on the newly acquired grounds in that year to a design by Lewis Kennedy. The Conservatory adjoining the Italian Garden was completed in 1813, and at 96m was the longest at that time. A collection of Camellias is housed in the Conservatory some of which survive from 1828 to this day.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chiswick House |
- Chiswick House and Gardens Trust
- Chiswick House Friends
- English Heritage
- Chiswick House entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses
- Detailed illustrated discussion of Chiswick
[edit] References
- ^ James Lees Milne,Earls of Creation(London, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 1962) 106-114.
- ^ British History Online Chiswick, Other Estates
- ^ Heritage Lottery Fund National Heritage Memorial Fund Lottery Distribution Account For the year ended 31 March 2008
- ^ Richard Hewlings, Chiswick House and Gardens: Appearance and Meaningin Richard Hewlings (eds.) Lord Burlington. Architecture, Art and Life(Cambridge, Hambledon Press, 1995)
- ^ Ricky Pound, The Master Mason Slain: The Hiramic Legend in the Ceiling of the Red Velvet Room at Chiswick House in Richard Hewlings (eds.)English Heritage Historical Review Volume 4, 2009, 154-163
- ^ Lord Burlington. The Man and his Politics- Questions of Loyalty (eds.) Edward Corp, (Lampeter, Edward Mellen Press, 1998)
- ^ Jane Clark, Lord Burlington is Here in Edward Corp and Jane Clark (eds), Lord Burlington. Architecture, Art and Life(London, Hambledon Press, 1995), 251-310.
- ^ Giles Worsley, Inigo Jones and the Europeon Classicist Tradition(Yale, 2007), 123-187
- ^ Yves-Marie Allain and Janine Christiany, L'art des jardins en Europe, Citadelles and Mazenod, Paris, 2006
- ^ Allain and Christiany, pg. 286
- ^ John Dixon Hunt, William Kent. Landscape Garden Designer(London, Zwemmer, 1987).
- ^ Chiswick House and Gardens Trust Guide to the Gardens
- John Harris, The Palladian Revival: Lord Burlington, His Villa and Garden at Chiswick. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994
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