Quiet London: Osterley Park and House

Just a 32 minute ride on the Piccadilly line from Leicester Square and you will arrive in Osterley, home to the rather elegant Osterley Park and House.  It could not be more different from the noise and lights and energy of Leicester Square.  It is calm and tranquil and of a different time.

Osterley House and Garden is a Georgian country estate owned by the National Trust and is one of the last remaining country estates in London. From the moment you enter the tree lined drive, passing cattle and fields you feel you have landed in a rural idyll, rather than the London borough of Hounslow.  The long sweeping drive would have been frequented by carriages years ago, and it takes very little imagination to picture the scene as guests arrived and enjoyed their first view view of the elegant house before them.

The House

Osterley House was was built by the banker Francis Child, and then remodelled for his grandson Robert in 1763-80.  It was designed for enjoyment and entertaining and to impress friends and clients. It is a red brick U shaped mansion with an imposing double portico linking the two wings. There is no doubt this would have impressed all who visited with the solid pillars, and imposing stone staircase providing the entrance to the house.

The view as you arrive is without doubt breath taking but the rear of the house looks out onto meadows and park land and has a beautiful stair case from which I regularly imagine myself flouncing.

The House

Visiting the house is very worthwhile, there are a number of rooms to wander through, and it is presented as it would have been in its hey day of the late 1780’s.  The Entrance hall is impressive and painted in a tasteful dove grey, with  a collection of Roman statues.  The room that I am always drawn to in old houses is the kitchen.  I find it fascinating to see how a kitchen worked to support the requirements of a huge house. Osterley’s kitchen is filled with cooking equipment and a beautiful collection of earthenware pots, all of which give a hint of the vast quantities of food that was prepared here..

The Gardens

I enjoy the house but it is the gardens I come to Osterley for.  They are varied and plentiful with parkland and meadow, formal gardens and woodlands.  It is easy to escape here.

Osterley is home to an very old Oriental Plane Tree.  Originally planted in 1755, it is thought to have been brought from Turkey or Iran.  Today it is ancient and gnarled with twisting, heavy branches which have rested themselves on the ground as if tired and weary.  It would be a wonderful tree to climb, and although tempting,  this is clearly not allowed! Further away from the house is a wooded area with ropes strung from trees for children and those who are children at heart to swing from and climb.

There are trails and paths to follow and if you enjoy running, its a lovely place to run through and in fact a park run can be found here every Saturday. I have cycled and ran and walked through Osterley on many occasions in all seasons and there is always something beautiful to see.  It is a gorgeous place to watch the changing of the seasons.  In the summer the gardens are full of flowers and colour, in autumn the trees are full of gold and amber and the warm light against the red brick of the house is beautiful.  In winter it is more austere but the lake at the front of the house is sometimes frozen and on a cold winters day it is a calming place to be.

 

The Courtyard

The court yard is lovely, and old stables now house a second hand book shop, the cafe and the national trust shop.  These are all well worth a visit.  The cafe is large with plenty of space both inside and out for tea and cake, and is made up of huge arches and large tables. With plenty of out door seating too, it is never too difficult to find a seat.  The second hand book shop is well stocked with fiction and non fiction and childrens books.  I can never resist a NT bookshop and rarely come away empty handed.  The main NT shop has all the quality goods you would expect, from food to gardening paraphernalia, and a good range of toys and books. 

There is a lovely quote by the founder of the National Trust, Olivia Hill (1888)

“The need of quiet, the need of air, the need of exercise, and, I believe, the sight of sky and of things growing, seem human needs, common to all”

I believe this sums up Osterley perfectly. If you are looking for a quiet moment,  seek the sky and fresh air and need some calm, then come to Osterley.  You will find it all in abundance.

See the National Trust website for details of opening times.