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. It aimed to restore the two-and-a-half acre walled gardens to a state of beauty, productivity and sustainability (our objects).
Over the course of the next five years, as the scale of operations grew, it became a charity and a company limited by guarantee.
On 1 December 2009 operation of Kitchen Garden activities was handed over to the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust and the company was closed.
Find out more about visiting the kitchen garden at the Trust's Web site. We think they've done a splendid job of realising our vision of turning a derelict piece of land into a place of beauty, harmony and productivity.