Chiswick House – a perfect Palladian villa in West London

Posted in Architecture, Country House, Historical articles, History, London on Wednesday, 23 May 2012

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This edited article about Chiswick House originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 710 published on 23 August 1975.

Chiswick House, picture, image, illustration

A general view of Chiswick House

This unusual-shaped villa was built by Lord Burlington in 1725. It embodied his own individual ideas on architecture and was designed more as a repository for his collection of paintings and drawings, than as a place to live in.

Later, it came into the possession of the 5th Duke of Devonshire and was enlarged in 1788. Since then, it has been elaborately restored and it is possible to visit and take pleasure in the highly-wrought plan and colourful rooms.

Some of the original contents are on loan from the Duke of Devonshire. Many of the original garden buildings still survive and enable the visitor to imagine what the setting of the house must have been in Lord Burlington’s day.

Lord Burlington derived at least some of his inspiration from the 16th century Italian Andrea Palladio. The interior decorations were done by the noted decorator, William Kent.

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