Forum Topic

Chiswick house being trashed

So, I don’t want to sound like a moaner BUT am I the only one who has noticed our beloved Chiswick house being completely obliterated of late?Sure I understand that people are going mad cooped up indoors, however the sudden influx of “outsiders” to the house is ruining the grounds. The bins are overflowing every day and night, there are wine bottles being left strewn all over the grass which also leads to a lot of broken glass about the place. Dogs are running riot in the water and disturbing the birds (I too have a dog so don’t think I’m against dogs!) and the grass is all but gone in the main areas because it’s dry and trodden to a crisp. It seems like someone has posted a blog to a million people recently to come on down to this secret beauty spot and ruin it for everyone else. If only there was a way of preserving it for locals only.

Jenny Smith ● 2347d29 Comments

It'll all be over soon Jenny

Richard Potts ● 2347d

I think most responsible gardeners have avoided wasting water  which is why the grass is so dry across many parts of the UK.Chiswick may feel like a secret spot especially in winter but ultimately it is open to everyone and is on many visitor guides.

Matthew Swain ● 2347d

'... to ruin it for everyone else' - from your post meaning 'locals only'. I don't suppose you ever wander far off your 'own' patch.

Anne England ● 2347d

I think what Jenny is saying that outsiders don't regard it as 'their' park and a small minority therefore have no respect for the place.I remember what happened in Dukes Meadows when 'outsiders' descended on mass. Shocking, simply shocking.

Adrian Irving ● 2347d

If you are capable of carrying full bottles in why can't you take empty bottles and the rest of your rubbish out?Are there any signs suggesting people take their rubbish home?  I've noticed how people don't even bother to crush a can before they put it in a bin.  Considering the smaller space that most people live in nowadays their lack of sense of spatial awareness is both amazing and worrying together with their irresponsibility.  Glass can also cause fires.Do people do this in their own homes?  I don't suppose so - so why do they think it is OK elsewhere?Scotland is generally ahead of the rest of the UK:https://depositreturnscheme.zerowastescotland.org.uk/scotland%E2%80%99s-deposit-return-scheme-passed-by-parliament

Philippa Bond ● 2347d

I’ve seen it - the mess is mostly by the rubbish containers- most probably the foxes who love the ready food for them-

Helen Bamberger ● 2347d

I do actually wonder all over the place from my own patch Anne, and I also contribute in donations to Chiswick house to keepIt going. What I am saying is, the yobs who are bringing their mess with them are disgraceful - I wouldn’t litter any park, anywhere, full stop. If they are going to do this, they should continue to do it on their own doorstep and not ours in Chiswick because I’ve lived here for 15 years and never seen such disrespect - I know the people of Chiswick have more respect for their environment

Jenny Smith ● 2347d

Why is this making me feel slightly uncomfortable?

Derek Berman ● 2347d

This too, but I’ve seen daily the bottles and waste thrown across all areas of the house. The thing that saddens me most is the fact that a lot of people just get up and walk off, leaving it there expecting someone to clear it. I was there last week and a group had gone leaving their full rubbish behind, and were even sat next to an empty bin.

Jenny Smith ● 2347d

You are probably right- people can be so selfish and have no regard for the lovely outside spaces- but honestly foxes also do know how to open things when they smell food- I saw a person cleaning up near one of the trash boxes a couple of weeks ago and he told me it was the foxes- so forgive me.

Helen Bamberger ● 2347d

Yes, early in the mornings it’s the foxes for sure. But I bet if you go in there between now and 9pm, you’ll see some what I mean. I just wish people would wake up and be more respectful of nature. I pulled a load of plastic rubbish out of the water today, the poor wildlife.

Jenny Smith ● 2347d

Time for some new rules to be applied to lockdown easing. People should collect their own rubbish when they picnic anywhere. No one should be expected to touch the rubbish and risk contracting the virus.

Sean Wales ● 2347d

Thankyou Jenny you are right.

Helen Bamberger ● 2347d

Just a thought, but the not local people probably don't read this website.....

Rob Reynolds ● 2347d

Saw a magpie pulling stuff out of a litter bin at Strand on the Green a couple of mornings back. It opened a tied plastic bag very efficiently.

Ken Munn ● 2347d

Jenny I agree that people should be very mindful of keeping the grounds clear of their rubbish and keeping it in order for other users. I think that’s what you mean when you mention being respectful of nature. Covid 19 is nature. All diseases are nature. Most of the world is uninhabitable. Nature is not always our friend .

Stewart Jones ● 2347d

Crows are very clever and will also take stuff out of rubbish bins and so will squirrels.  I think people should take their waste home with them.  It really irritates me when they pile everything into a carrier and leave that carrier beside a bin rather than using it. I think that you are wrong in thinking that it has to be people from elsewhere though.  There are a lot of people around who just don't see why they should be bothered.  A lot of children seem never to have been taught to clear up after themselves and they just grow up into adults who don't care or think that others should clear up after them.

Philippa Bond ● 2347d

Did you check whether it was a local Magpie or one of those "outsider" ones?

Richard Potts ● 2347d

While corvids have long been intelligent, there is a definite change in the nature of Chiswick House visitors. Perhaps we just have to get used to it. There are cyclists everywhere. There are kids kicking their footballs as hard and as high as they can into the trees. There are picnicking groups playing music. And the bins are overflowing. Remember when the new cafe opened and we were told we were no longer allowed to picnic in the grounds? The times, they are a-changing.

Beryl Wall ● 2347d

The tension here seems to be that locals rightly want their beloved park to be treated with respect.  Nothing wrong with that. And there is nothing wrong with people coming from far and wide to see these pretty gardens and (pretty uninteresting, to be frank, house). I haven't been to the grounds since the lockdown, but it seems that any problems could be solved by tougher enforcement from the Chiswick House authorities. I have seen in previous years people taking no notice of their dogs chasing the ducks, footballs being kicked hard (have been hit more than once when wandering on the slopes by the lake) and there seems to be no one in authority taking any notice.  Unlike Osterley Park where strict enforcement actually sometimes goes too far (you are one metre beyond the zone where your dog MUST be on the lead) etc

Claire Moran ● 2347d

I must admit that when I was a child I probably wouldn't have noticed litter but I certainly don't remember it being in the parks etc.  Chiswick House pretty much served as my back garden back in the 50s and my friends and family had many picnics there without leaving rubbish but one thing that appears to be missing from parks and open spaces these days is park keepers who regularly patrolled the parks and presumably kept things in order.  Once upon a time all parks had one or more park keepers who if I remember right wore uniforms and maintained order etc.  Chiswick House certainly had them perhaps that is what is required again.

Bernadette Paul ● 2347d

You are so right about park keepers. Do you remember cycling in the park (which was prohibited)  somebody would cry out PARKY ! Park keepers would not work now as they would be attacked. Also there was a movement called KEEP BRITAIN TIDY, with a picture of a bin and someone throwing something in. The bin was made from wire I remember. There were no takeaways then. Also we drank out of the fountains, there were no cans. Times change we need to empty the bins and clean up. They manage it abroad. How often do you see the streets being washed here. Drive along the Colnbrook bypass towards Heathrow. This area even came up on national radio its so bad. Its the way we are as a nation!

Nicholas Beard ● 2346d

"however the sudden influx of “outsiders” to the house is ruining the grounds. The bins are overflowing every day and night, there are wine bottles being left strewn all over the grass which also leads to a lot of broken glass about the place. Dogs are running riot in the water and disturbing the birds"It was extremely stupid to keep the gardens open during the lockdown. It has encouraged the spread of Covid-19. The British public cannot be expected to 'behave' just because they are asked to!.  Chiswick House has behaved extremely irresponsibly. You reap what you sow.

Steve Taylor ● 2346d

Sorry.  I don’t agree.  I walked my dog every day during lockdown in Chiswick House Grounds.  I rarely saw any issues.  People were very scarce compared to normal times; Especially so considering the weather.  I once saw a family mingling with another and there were mutters from the others present in the park - this exception proving the rule.  The rest kept socially distant with even runners and cyclists stopping and waiting when necessary 99% of the time.  I think this epitomises the general good citizenship I see there as a matter of course.There were a bunch of curmudgeons who seemed to think the grounds should be exclusively their property scowling at everyone else though.I think the current inflow is due to the extraordinary weather and the extraordinary times.  I suspect things will return to normal as and when the rest of the world does.  In the meantime I think they should provide larger temporary wheelie bins.  I suspect the combination of wine, weather, unfamiliarity and volume is causing the current problems.  Difficult to deal with the first three, but larger bins would help with the volume.

Alex Houseman ● 2346d

With regard to Covid 19, why is the advice given in Scotland different from that of England?

Brian Coyle ● 2346d

Perhaps if people can't be responsible for the mess that they make/take home their waste that there should be entrance charges?  Why should they have to finance more bin collections?  Especially now when they may have lost finance they would have made from summer events.

Philippa Bond ● 2346d

Scotland is a different country. Different health service etc. Differect education. Different way of buying a house.

Nicholas Beard ● 2346d

Yes, but Scotland often manages to lead the way to changes for the better.  I know it is bigger but I also think that there are often too many vested interests and consequently too much lobbying of politicians here. They were ahead on the plastic bag tax - and what a fuss was made over that small change to our lives!https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ChiswickHouseLegoModel

Philippa Bond ● 2345d

"In the meantime I think they should provide larger temporary wheelie bins"As Philipa says, revenue is down and demand is up requiring bigger bins and/or increased collection. No business will look to increase its costs now.Aside from that conflict, commercial rubbish collection like all else is compromised. We know from our crew many of their staff are still on furlough to the point they are doing a single collection with recycling and general rubbish going into the same vehicle. The company asked if we wanted reduced service due to lack of demand. We said yes. That has yet to happen but I've no clue why. Admin for them has always been excruciatingly slow. Presumably slower now.

David Lesniak ● 2345d