An artist's path II.

 

On our first walk from Hammersmith Bridge we reach the picturesque Chiswick Square. Today we will continue our journey towards Kew, following a route once frequented by artists.

We now continue the road, Burlington Ln, towards Chiswick House. The name of the street refers to the former 3rd Earl of Burlington, Richard Boyle, 'the Apollo of the Arts' in the words of Horace Walpole, for being a great patron of artists. Boyle inherited two properties in London, Burlington House in Picadilly, now the headquarters of the Royal Academy, and Chiswick House, which he turned into one of the architectural gems that can be found nowadays in London. Burlington played a key role in the revival of the Neo-Palladian architecture in Britain.

Chiswick House from the pond.

Chiswick's clean air and proximity to London (only 6 miles from Hyde Park Corner) had made it a desirable retreat. In the past London was a noisy, dirty and smelly city, where plagues and epidemics were easily spread. In 1706, historian John Bowack described Chiswick thus "the town, tho' but small, is so very pleasantly situated, out of the road and free from traffic, noise and dust". 

In Chiswick one could breathe healthy air and enjoy nature and its benefits. It was easy to access via the river, which allowed a faster and safer journey than the roads. Even today, the gardens surrounding Chiswick House are undoubtedly among the most beautiful in London. Today's visitor can relax and enjoy the surroundings as the friends of Lord and Lady Burlington once did, including the composer George Frederick Handel or the poets John Gay and Alexander Pope. Chiswick House, the elegant Classical villa built by Burlington between 1727-9, is one of the finest Palladian-style buildings in England. In its design Boyle was inspired by the Villa Capra by Palladio, close to Vicenza. Chiswick House was the Chiswick home of the Burlingtons and their successors, the dukes of Devonshire, although it was not initially designed as a home to live in.

3rd Earl of Burlington Richard Boyle was also an architect, inspired by his great love of the buildings of Classical Rome and his admiration of architects like Andrea Palladio and Inigo Jones. Like any other young nobleman Boyle went on the Grand Tour. In Italy he met William Kent, artist, architect and landscape designer. Boyle brought Kent back from Italy and installed him in Burlington House, Picadilly. 

Burlington attempted to create the type of garden that would have found in a suburb of Ancient Rome, greenery and water, statues and architecture. A brook was canalised and turned into a lake. Burlington built a waterfall (the cascade) powered by engines. Kent was involved in the design of the gardens at Chiswick House, and with his painter's eye he managed to add a revolutionary touch to the layout for the time. Today the gardens still surprise the stroller with their little surprises and spots. Walking through the gardens nowadays takes you back to the 18th century.

The Pond.

The cascade.

Those who wish can visit the house, which is now preserved and managed by English Heritage. Guests in Burlington's days accessed the house via the outside staircase leading to the upper floor, lavishly decorated. There, Burlington exhibited part of its precious collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures acquired during his travels across Europe on his grand tour. Burlington was the first to bring together artistic pieces from what would later become the Devonshire collection. After Burlington's death Chiswick House passed to the dukes of Devonshire through the marriage of Burlington's younger daughter, Lady Charlotte Boyle. She had married the Marquess of Hartington, the future 4th Duke of Devonshire. Thus, all the Burlington's estates, properties and art collections came into the ownership of the Devonshire family. Chiswick House remained their property until 1929, when the reduced estate was sold to Middlesex County Council. The Devonshires added new items to the property, and enlarged their own art collection -William Cavendish, the second Duke of Devonshire (1673-1729) had greatly expanded a collection started by the fourth Earl and first Duke of Devonshire- with Burlington's artworks, making it one of the largest private art collections in Britain. From the 1860s onwards the Devonshires let the house and gradually moved the historic contents to Chatsworth House, where many items remain today.

In Burlington's time the public road ran much closer to the house than at present.

An artist with her easel facing Chiswick House.

Gateway designed by Inigo Jones.

The conservatory from the Italian garden.

We leave the house and go through the gateway, designed by Inigo Jones, and acquired by Burlington in 1738 after the demolition of Beaufort House, in Chelsea. Following the path we reach the Italian Garden and the Conservatory, both added to the property by the 'Bachelor' 6th Duke of Devonshire -he was a keen gardener-, who inherited the house and acquired neighbouring property. He gave lavish parties at Chiswick house. The conservatory contains an important historic collection of camellias. Exotic animals (elephants, elks, emus, kangaroos, an Indian bull, giraffes, etc.) once inhabited the gardens for the enjoyment of distinguished visitors, including the Russian Tsar Alexander, the King of Prussia, Queen Victoria, the Russian Tsar Nicholas I and the King of Saxony. 

In this location the Beatles filmed a promotional video in 1966. Very close to the greenhouse is the north entrance, through which we can leave the Estate and visit the country retreat -today in front of the noisy A4- that William Hogarth acquired in 1749 and lived in until the end of his days. "I have found a little country box by the Thames", wrote William Hogarth in a letter in 1749. Hogarth had fifteen happy years at Chiswick, walking with his pug, playing ninepins in the nut walk, working in his painting room and seeing his friends. We only know of one drawing of Chiswick by him, probably made from the river facing Burlington Lane. The narrow brick house dates to about 1700. The oriel window we can see today was added by Hogarth. From its upstairs windows Turnham Green could be seen across the Common Field. The house was badly bombed in 1940, but was repaired. 

Hogarth House.

Let's go back to the Pond. Three paths through the gardens start from the same spot, in a radial pattern, but each one ends by a small building. These are some of the surprises that these gardens offer. Once in the pond, a small Ionic temple was built next to the water, with an amphitheatre, swimming pool and obelisk. Orange trees (Orange Tree Garden) were placed on the steps of the amphitheatre in Burlington's time. Nearby, towards the house, is the Exedra, designed by William Kent to incorporate Burlington's collection of eighteenth-century and ancient sculpture. Kent had a pictorial approach to garden design, he conceived it as semi-naturalistic pictures, similar to the landscapes by Claude Lorraine and Nicolas Poussin. The statues now in the Exedra are modern copies. 

The Exedra.

Bordering the Orange Tree Garden by the first of three radial paths we arrive at the classic bridge, at the end of the pond. It is a classic stone bridge built by the 5th Duke of Devonshire in 1774. The Duke and his wife spent some good times at Chiswick and made some major changes to the property.

Today we can enjoy numerous paintings depicting Chiswick House and its wonderful gardens. Some are recent, but the oldest were commissioned by Burlington himself. For his collection, the Flemish artist Pieter Andreas Rysbrack created several views of the gardens between 1728 and 1733. Other artists who depicted the house and gardens in Burlington's time were George Lambert and William Kent. The painter Johan Zoffany did it for the 4th Duke of Devonshire in 1763. Zoffany lived at Strand on the Green, Chiswick, near Kew Bridge. Because of his importance, among the contemporary artists the painter and critic Roger Eliot Fry, member of the Bloomsbury group, stands out. Today there are many artists who come here and capture in their artistic creations the picturesque spots that this magnificent estate offers.

We leave Chiswick House and Gardens by the South Gate and head towards the river through Dukes Meadows, a riverside park bordered by a loop of the River Thames. Formerly part of Devonshire Estate, this land was purchased from the Duke of Devonshire in 1923. We continue our artistic route following the steps of artists from the past who lived or painted in this gorgeous area of London.

In my next post I will talk about an old painting found at the Portobello Road flea market and connected to the mentioned Duke of Devonshire's art collection. And in future posts we will continue our trip to Kew following the footsteps of those artists who, even today, continue to inspire the work of a number of artists. Merry Christmas!