Wall Street Journal Tells Readers to Pay a Visit to Chiswick

Describes it as a lush paradise that inspired Van Gogh


Chiswick 'more than just pretty gardens'. Picture: Chiswick House and Gardens Trust

July 2, 2023

The readers of the Wall Street Journal have been given a strong recommendation to visit Chiswick when they come to London.

In a feature article, which is available only through subscription, written by Canadian novelist Mary Lou Longworth the area is described as ‘a lush paradise’ that inspired Van Gogh.

She lauds the combination of an area with ample green space including the gardens of Palladian Chiswick House and the ‘quaint’ riverside pubs with access to central London in half an hour.

Inevitably the word ‘leafy’ appears in the article but it also goes into some depth on the area’s history including its iron age origins and the Saxon settlements living off fish and barley that provided the ‘cheese farm’ name. However, Chiswick is 'more than just pretty gardens' with a wealth of local history permeating the neighbourhood.

She continues, “From the 1700s on, Chiswick has been home to a who’s who of British literary and artistic fame” and focuses on the three year stay in the area of Van Gogh who worked as a Sunday school teacher at the Chiswick Congregational Church on Turnham Green. He wrote to his brother extolling the virtues of this ‘verdant’ part of London.

The article recommends a two-hour walk-through Bedford Park to spot the blue plaques installed in the area marking the former dwellings of notables.

The author’s information is perhaps not 100% reliable. For instance, she says her friend from Notting Hill joked that Chiswick is where young well-off Londoners go to have babies which, given the rise in house prices, is a much less common phenomenon than it used to be.

However, the article has elicited a very positive response in the area. One local restaurateur told us, “I rejoiced when I saw this glowing endorsement from such an influential publication. Given the state of the economy has resulted in our loyal local customer base being able to dine with us less often, we really need the tourist trade to recover to pre-pandemic levels. It does appear to be coming back and I’ve noticed more people trundling suitcases along the High Road presumably heading for their Air BnB. Fingers crossed that the article will bring a new wave of high spending international travellers that could prove the salvation of many local businesses.”