February doesn’t seem like the time for visiting gardens, but for one in particular, there is no better time! 

Chiswick House is a beautiful Neo-Palladian villa in the heart of West London dating from 1729, designed by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (who also designed the famous namesake Burlington House, and Westminster School).  

The villa is surrounded by expansive and well-kept gardens with a river running through and scattered with old cedar of Lebanon trees (my favourite type of tree!). Stepping here after the noise of the busy roads surrounding it is a strange experience – like being lifted out of London and into a beautiful countryside somewhere in middle England.  

It’s a stunning location to visit all year round, but if there’s one time in the year you should visit it’s definitely between late February to early March. This is because it is the rare window in which one of the oldest collection of camellias in the world comes to life, with some that date from 1828. 

Camellias are evergreen shrubs with thick glossy leaves and bright flowers that are similar to roses, but more robust. They originated in Asia and were cultivated for centuries in royal gardens, with around 220 different varieties including one that produces Britain’s favourite drink – tea.

Robert James, Lord Petre of Thorndon Hall was the first to grow camellias in Britain in 1739, and his gardener introduced them to commerce, with new varieties emerging as the tea trade sped up in the 18th century, catching the eye of Samuel Ware who found this exotic plant so beautiful that he purposely built an enormous conservatory to house them on the grounds of Chiswick House, which to this day remains the oldest collection of camellias under glass in the Western World! 

Although at the moment much of the conservatory is closed for renovations, the majority of the camellias are outside and can find a trail map here.

It’s fascinating to be able to walk around seeing how largely unchanged the gardens are since that time. Unfortunately I can’t say the same for Chiswick House as I’ve never been inside – despite my many attempts to do so it never seems to be open! 

Any time I come here I try to intertwine it with a Sunday roast at one of my favourite pubs, the Bell & Crown (book ahead), as well as a walk-through Chiswick town centre which is full of great shops, including: 

• Bayley & Sage: a great deli with excellent cheeses from all parts of the world as well as niche condiments and other tasty treats
• Natoora: a great grocer for a fantastic selection of vegetables
• Borough Kitchen Cook Shop: a chef’s dream shop with the latest cookery gadgets 
• Foster Books: one of the most instagramable bookshops in London, you can see why below 
• Old Cinema: a treasure trove of antiques, from hard furnishings to brass trinkets 

On the 3^rd Sunday of every month they also have the Chiswick Cheese Market, where you can get just about any cheese under the sun, as well as some famous Isle of Wight tomatoes and other delectables. 

So you can see how easily you can spend a whole day here like I did last week: start at the pub, walk to Chiswick house to see the Camellias and finish on the high street browsing some shops. It’s bound to be a blooming good time!  

⚜️ Rowan