Local school children to take part in opening ceremony

Music from Poland, Africa and Brazil, “Bollywood” and Albanian dancing, a pyrotechnic display, dog show, children’s cookery workshops, farm animals and tours promise a spectacular weekend of entertainment for all cultures and all the family at Chiswick House and Gardens’ Community Arts Festival on 24 and 25 September. Entry and all the attractions are completely free of charge.

More than 100 children from three local schools will be taking part in the opening ceremony on Saturday morning, singing “The Secrets of the Rainbow House,” which they created with the New London Orchestra, drawing on the property for their inspiration.

Cavendish Primary, The William Hogarth Primary and Marlborough Primary each devised a verse – these were then cleverly woven together by the orchestra and put to music.

The festival, which opens from 11 a.m. to 5p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. on the Sunday, is being organised as part of a major regeneration of the property, which is one of the earliest and most important neo-Palladian villas in England, and a key focus has been to involve as many different cultures and community groups from across the borough of Hounslow as possible.

On the Saturday, there will be Indian and “Bollywood” dance performances from Pushpalata Dance Company, from Isleworth and Sahil Multicultural Association, from Hounslow. Albanian traditional dance will be presented by Dituria, from Hounslow; while Middlesex musician Nishi Malhotra, will perform her own lyrics and instrumentation and Rachel Magoola will offer up a hybrid of African rhythms.

Taking to the stage on the Sunday will be Zywiec Polish Folk Song & Dance Group, Lindy Circle Performers (specialising in Lindy Hop and the Charleston), The Bridge Quartet, Peter Hammond Jazz trio, Zingari Swing (folk/blues), Smashing Times (rock/pop), Rythms of the City (Brazilian), The Arabic Ensemble (Arabic) and Seema (Hindu myths and story-telling).

The grand finale takes place in the Italian Garden and features a pyrotechnic display from The World Famous with fire drawings of plants and flowers, fountains sprouting from the earth, glittering trees of sparklers, spinning wheels and strobing effects.

Chiswick House and Gardens is a vital part of Hounslow’s history and English Heritage’s Outreach and Educations departments has been working over the past few months with a number of schools and community groups to explore its fascinating history.

A series of arts based workshops has been held with Cavendish Primary School, Green Dragon Primary School, Belmont Primary School, Crane Park Primary School, Feltham Community College and Chiswick Community School and projects being showcased range from three dimensional animal masks to banners and flags. Hounslow Youth Service has been taking part in a three week youth performance summer school to create “The Chiswick House Tour of Terror, featuring the Duke’s Meadows Ghosts,” while local artists have also responded to the challenge.

Catherine Bloodworth, London Outreach Officer at English Heritage, commented: “This project has encouraged people to look at Chiswick House and Gardens in a totally different way to the normal visitor. It has been absolutely fascinating seeing the different ideas which have developed with the range of projects and it will be really interesting at the festival to see people’s reactions to them.”

Cllr John Chatt, Executive Member for Positive Regeneration, London Borough of Hounslow, said: "This community festival places the emphasis on local school children and artists while using the grounds as a magnificent backdrop. Chiswick House and Grounds is an important site in the borough and we hope it will be enjoyed - and appreciated - for many generations to come."

The festival has been developed and delivered by the English Heritage Outreach and Education teams, with the support of the Culture 2000 programme of the European Union and now wireless broadband.

Earlier this year, a new charity, the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, was set up between English Heritage and the London Borough of Hounslow to oversee the restoration, management and protection of this Grade I villa and its gardens, which has been enjoyed as a public park since 1929. An application has been lodged with the Heritage Lottery Fund to support phase one, encompassing the landscape regeneration elements. The project was given a significant boost by £600,000 in funding from the Wolfson Gardens Challenge Fund in September 2004, a figure English Heritage has matched.

September 15, 2005