Entry to Chiswick House Kitchen Garden to Be Made Free
Area to be opened up in time for a display of spring flowers
The Kitchen Garden. Picture: Chiswick House & Gardens Trust
January 26, 2024
Chiswick House & Gardens Trust has announced that it is planning to provide free access to the Kitchen Garden area from this Easter.
As of Thursday 28 March, members of the public will no longer need to pay to enter the area to see what is hoped will be a magnificent display of spring flowers.
Beds of Narcissus and tulips, featuring varieties such as Tulipa 'Groenland,' 'Apricot Pride,' and 'Menton' should be blooming through March and April.
Building on its 350-year history, the walled Kitchen Garden is a productive space within the 65-acre site. It also serves as a meeting place for local community groups.
Rosie Fyles, Head of Gardens at Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, said, "Our dedicated gardening team and volunteers pour incredible effort into cultivating this bountiful space, yet the majority of visitors to the grounds have yet to explore this hidden gem, previously behind the paywall. Our vision for the Kitchen Garden is to seamlessly weave inspiration from our storied past, sharing a space that enriches the local community but also serves as a haven, promoting wellness. For over 300 years this walled-garden has offered visitors beauty, pleasure and connection and it’s been a personal aim to share this unique space more widely. It’s really exciting to enable more people to visit it regularly.”
Chiswick House has cultivated productive spaces since the mid-17th century, and today, the Kitchen Garden offers an abundance of fruit, vegetables and cut flowers for both sale and donation.
In 2023, the Kitchen Garden donated over a tonne of fresh produce, translating into over 2600 meals, to local food charities such as The Felix Project and Surplus to Supper working to address local food poverty.
Visitors to the Kitchen Garden are invited to indulge in a sensory experience, sampling edible flowers, harvesting leaves for infusions and there will be seasonal opportunities to get more involved.
The gardening team employ no-dig techniques, establish wildlife habitats, and aim to kindle enthusiasm for locally grown produce, ranging from roses to mushrooms, and establish welcoming spaces for community partners, all set against the backdrop of over 200 meticulously trained apple and pear trees.
The Kitchen Garden will be open Thursday-Sunday, 10.30am-3.30pm from 28 March until 27 October 2024.
With the Conservatory now closed to the public due to its increasingly fragile state, access to the Kitchen Garden will be via the newly-named Gardeners’ Gate located on the path between the Conservatory and the Rosary.
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