Charming Chiswick
Ravenscourt Park tube station, London
Guided by Alison
Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 2026 | Tour du Jour | 11 am | 1 pm | Summer |
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Alison’s Chiswick Walk has everything going for it. Any day’s a good day to be in Chiswick. because of all the Chiswick ‘extras’:t you can add – this is of particular London interest – Gillian Brett’s sculpture of Fanny Wilkinson. And quadruply so because of the white glove service London Walks lays on. Starting with the “advancer” email you get from Alison on walk’s eve. It’s the platonic ideal of an advancer email. The best of the best of the circus ponies of London Walks’ guides’ advancer emails. Quintuply so – this one makes the hand you’ve been dealt a royal flush – because of Chiswick House. In complete contrast and almost next door, Chiswick House is the perfect Palladian villa, built to house Burlington’s extraordinary collection of art. The grounds are worth exploring, particularly as the rosary, the first rose garden in England, has now been restored and designated a silent space. There is no charge for the house and there is a cafe. You can also see the famous Beatles tree that the Fab Four climbed on in the band’s 1966 music video for “Rain”. It has been nominated for the Woodland’s Trust Tree of the Year 2025 competition.
You heard it from London Walks! Here’s the podcast about a smattering of the embarrassment of riches.
“There are two things scarce matched in the universe: the sun in heaven and the Thames on earth” Sir Walter Raleigh
Old, picturesque, storied, full of character, riverine, tucked away on its isthmus, sitting pretty – that’s Chiswick.
Comes of ancient stock. The name means ‘cheese-farm.’ And ancient? Chiswick’s been answering to its name for 1,000 years. Cheese-farm and Thameside fishing village. How honest-to-goodness is that? The church, St Nicholas, goes back to 1181. Its present incarnation is a comparative youngster – 15th century.
There’s 16th-century Walpole House on the Mall. There’s Chiswick’s magnificent riverside promenade – the lazy river, the singing summer sky, the architectural feats and feasts – a stroll along that past-cosseted passage is a guaranteed medicine for melancholy.
There are cafes and specialist shops and handsome old pubs. Say it again – proclaim it – old riverside pubs. The photo-op of the walk has to be the Dove.
It’s a tracking shot because the Dove is reached by a narrow path winding through a cluster of houses. Every step along there “teems with reminiscences of poets, men of letters and artists: let us therefore softly tread; ’tis hallowed ground” (Edward Walford).
And it’s not just the shades of Thackeray and Hemingway and Graham Greene and John Fowles haunting the byways and pubs and groves of Chiswick, here we’re also deep into Arts & Crafts territory. We will pass William Morris’s London home and learn about a perfectly preserved London interior that he visited regularly. Rich repast, this walk through this olde-worlde riverside village. Pastoral perfection, a rural idyll in London.
There are so many places to eat and drink why not enjoy a leisurely lunch before you shop or retrace steps and enjoy a pint at one of the many riverside pubs? Depending on your taste Alison is happy to make suggestions, there is something for everyone.
N.B. the walk takes about two hours and ends on the High Road, very near Turnham Green Tube.
CHARMING CHISWICK – THE PRACTICALS
To go on the Charming Chiswick walk meet Yorkshire lass Alison just outside the exit of Ravenscourt Park Tube.
Alison will be holding up a London Walks sign.
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“Without a doubt the best walking tour company currently operating in London” Stardust
“by far the most impressive series of walks that I have ever encountered are those offered by London Walks” Travel & Enjoy
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Charming Chiswick walk do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have the Charming Chiswick walk – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. Ring Fiona or Niamh or Peter or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk is good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group. And the clincher: a private London Walk makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS
A private London Walk makes a very special gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
Julia Richards –
The perfect walk for a surprisingly sunny day. As we walked along the riverside and into Chiswick, past impressive houses and beautiful trees and shrubs, Alison’s encyclopaedic knowledge of former residents, architecture and local history made this a thoroughly engaging tour.
Andrea –
A very enjoyable, informative and pretty walk. Glad I ignored the poor weather forecast as the day turned out to be warm and dry. Alison had a wealth of knowledge and stories about Chiswick’s history which were very entertaining. I knew very little about this area before today. The pre-walk email about places to get refreshments etc. was very welcome. I would recommend this walk.
Colin Startup –
Alison is an experienced and very knowledgeable guide. We went past some very nice houses and learnt a lot about former residents of the area. Good to explore an area that is slightly off the beaten track with someone that knows it like the back of her hand. Will be revisiting the path by the river and the pubs when the weather is better!
K and F from Edinburgh –
This is a really pretty walk and well worth making the effort to learn about another part of riverside London, that you may not normally visit. Alison is a great guide, knowledgeable about architecture history ghosts (!) famous people who lived in or frequented the area and more. Alison also kindly sent us a note before the walk telling us where we could get a coffee etc and various ideas where we could have lunch after which was very thoughtful!
One of our favourite London walks – and we have done quite a few!
Catherine –
Charming Chiswick was a pleasant break from the hectic tourist pace. The homes along the Chiswick Mall are lovely, and the towns at each end of the walk are pleasant to spend a bit of extra time. Alison set the perfect pace and path for the stroll, pleasantly sharing her knowledge of the homes and residents.
stephen –
As a tourist who usually stays in central London, this trip to Chiswick was an absolute delight. The environs were most enjoyable and beautiful, and accompanied by Alison’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable commentary. A must visit!
Dr. Thomas A. Underwood –
What a pleasant surprise to find out that Alison Hook was leading the “Charming Chiswick” walk! Alison, I have learned previously, is keeper of an Amalthea’s Horn of London lore. Articulate, lettered, and keenly aware of her charges, she knows not only how to narrate and ambulate simultaneously but also how to introduce the living to the dead. As we wended our way down the Thames path from Hammersmith to Chiswick, she reincarnated Maurice Childs, the Chiswick hairdresser foiling an IRA bomb plot by hurling a smoking suitcase from the Hammersmith Bridge; TJ Cobden-Sanderson throwing his entire set of Doves type into the Thames to spite his business partner; Ernest Hemingway in his cups at the Dove Pub; pug-loving William Hogarth nesting in his “little country box.” These West Londoners and many others long gone she conjured on a typical twenty-first century day in which multiple tube lines were down! While those less committed to their duties might fairly have canceled the walk, Alison hoofed it from a distant underground station to our meeting point so that our perambulatory séance could go on. It goes without saying that she is a guide who knows how to think on her feet – and who knows a thing or two about the transmogrification of souls.
Annette –
Alison is a great guide, very friendly, knowledgeable and interesting to listen to. The walk is very enjoyable and you learn a lot about W. Morris, see truly amazing architecture and gardens, learn about Fuller’s brewery and visit a lovely church. Really recommend the walk- the 2 hours went by so quickly. After the walk, Chiswick is a great place to have lunch – we loved the Urban Pantry. Alison’s recommendations of Hoghart’s house and the old cinema- a vintage shop- were great as well.
Tim Gifford –
The Charming Chiswick walk is a very interesting and picturesque stroll through west Hammersmith, along the River Thames and into Chiswick. Our guide, Alison, was full of fascinating historical facts and anecdotes which kept the group fully engaged, despite some quite awful weather. This special walk is very much worth doing and you won’t regret it. Alison is a very knowledgeable guide.
Brian –
I enjoyed the walk. Whilst I have some knowledge of the streets/the area, it was good to hear stories associated with particular places and to have local landmarks pointed out and explained. The walk is done at an easy pace. Alison’s presentation was always clear and informative. I would recommend the walk.