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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 2025 | Tour du Jour | 10.45 am | 12.45 pm | Summer | Reserve Online |
| 29 June 2025 | Tour du Jour | 10.45 am | 12.45 pm | Summer | Reserve Online |
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
This Sunday’s (May 11th) Chiswick Walk has everything going for it. Any day’s a good day to be in Chiswick. A fine Spring day, doubly so. May 11th trebly so because of all the Chiswick ‘extras’: the Sculpture Exhibition at the Chiswick Brewery and the Chiswick Antiques & Vintage Market. Of particular London interest, Gillian Brett’s sculpture of Fanny Wilkinson. You heard it from London Walks! Here’s the podcast about 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.
Josepha Murray –
I joined Alison yesterday for her Chiswick walk. I enjoyed being introduced to the quieter streets of Hammersmith and Chiswick by the river – a different world to the main roads. Alison was a fount of information and amusing stories. The group was quite large but she projected her voice so we could all hear.
Angela –
I never knew Chiswick had so much beauty and history! It truly is charming!! Alison knows her stuff and is a delightful guide because she really engages with all those on the tour. Two hours whizzed by! We did indeed return to one of her recommended pubs and had a lovely roast lunch!
Christine Morgan –
Beautiful part of London that I didn’t know much about. Alison was a fabulous guide – very well-organized and explained everything nicely. She also sent a warm welcome email the night before to give people some tips about where to get coffee beforehand, what to expect, etc.
Luna –
An educational and inspirational walk through Chiswick with our guide, Alison Hook, was great! Her knowledge of the place and her ability to both entertain and engage us – with historical facts, events and stories of hauntings, was a delight.
It was an amazing journey through time and space: learning about the various historical and cultural events that occurred in Chiswick. I had no idea that so many famous people – William Morris, among many others- lived and contributed to the wealth of picturesque Chiswick. It was a fabulous way to spend two hours learning about this area of London. Highly recommended.
Rebeca Perez –
Although I ‘ve lived in London for many years years, there are always beautiful hidden places to discover. Alison’s walking tour will help you uncover Chiswick’s history and its beauty.
I didn’t mind it was a cold and rainy Sunday morning, as we walked by the Thames I got immersed into the area, learning about the people who lived there and their lives. For example Graham Green, Hamingway and William Morris to say a few. We passed by churches, beautiful houses, shops, alleyways, etc. The area is full of pubs worth visiting and some of them with haunted past.
I loved the walk and I highly recommended and with no doubt Allison will mesmerised you with all her knowledge and stories.