Open House Comes To Chiswick This Weekend

Free guided tours of local landmarks and hidden gems

The London Open House weekend takes place across the capital this weekend (September 19th to 21st) and some of Chiswick's architectural gems are due to be opened for all to see.

Sunday afternoon will see a guided tour of Turnham Green, beginning at the late 19th century Town Hall and taking in the Sanderson wallpaper factory in the Barley Mow Passage, designed by CFA Voysey, as well as the first fire station to be built with a hose tower.

Architect-guided tours on Sunday of the Gunnersbury Park Museum and a landscape tour of the Park Grounds offer a chance to find out more about the multi-million pound restoration project for 2015. Events at Gunnersbury Park are free but require pre-booking, only available by emailing gunnersbury@ealing.gov.uk.

(The Large Mansion at Gunnersbury Park, on display Sunday 21st)

The guided cycle tour of Hounslow will set off from Chiswick Station at Sunday lunchtime. The tour will be led by some of the Borough's transport project officers and will take in a number of Open House buildings. Pre-booking is also required for this event.

Saturday and Sunday afternoons will see a 'Ruskinian Walk' through South Acton and Chiswick, beginning with Lord Rogers' acclaimed design for Chiswick Business Park and taking in a number of significant builds, including the home of the late artist Patrick Caulfield CBE.

As usual, the Weekend offers the chance to visit some of Chiswick's most historic houses and neighbourhoods. Hogarth's House opens its doors to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 5pm, with hourly tours of areas of the House usually left under lock and key. Hogarth's House is celebrating the 250th anniversary of William Hogarth's death in 2014, with the star-studded 'Small Self' exhibition on show for visitors to peruse. On Sunday, there will also be a tour of Bedford Park, the first 'garden suburb' in the country.

Perhaps less well-known is a property on Park Road (pictured right) which also features on the Open House programme. On Saturday, visitors will get the chance to see a "striking re-modelling" of an Edwardian house with "excellent environmental credentials". The architect of will be on-site to provide a tour of the re-build, which was completed in 2011.

Cllr Sachin Gupta, cabinet member at Hounslow Council, said:

“We are proud to support Open House as it give people the chance to see, explore and learn about local architecture and design over one weekend.

“It’s a real chance for us showcase some of our wonderful buildings, and let people discover areas and places they would not usually be able to access.”

For full listings and booking information on Open House 2014 events in Ealing and Hounslow, follow this link.

September 12, 2014