The Cascade in Chiswick Park

Image: © Marathon Taken: 6 May 2016

Chiswick House is one of the finest examples of neo-Palladian design in England. Inspired by the architecture of ancient Rome and 16th Century Italy, the Third Earl of Burlington built the house as a homage to Renaissance architect Palladio. The house was never intended as a private residence, but a bold architectural experiment, and as a showcase for art collections, and a venue for entertaining. The interiors are by William Kent. The Gardens were the birthplace of the English Landscape Movement and the inspiration for great gardens from Blenheim Palace to New York’s Central Park. For more about the Gardens see http://www.chgt.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=93 The lake was originally a stream called the Bollo Brook which formed the boundary of Lord Burlington’s estate. After the estate was extended by the purchase of land the other side of the water in 1726-7, the Brook was widened and canalised and, in 1737, ‘naturalised’ by landscaping its edges to give the illusion of a river. The Bollo Brook itself is carried in a pipe underneath the lake. Near the south-eastern end of the lake is the Cascade. One of the later additions to Lord Burlington’s garden, erected about 1738, the Cascade is a waterfall descending a series of rock steps through three archways. It was probably designed by William Kent and inspired by designs Burlington and Kent had seen in Italian Renaissance gardens. With the help of a major donation the setting and the appearance of the Cascade has been restored to its former 18th century splendour.

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