There is progress in the work to secure the Conservatory’s long-term future and sustainability. The ‘back shed’ working areas have been conserved and re-purposed as artists’ studios creating a Creative Campus, opened by Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, on May 22nd. 

Why are these ‘working areas’ important?

Historic England’s re-listing of the conservatory shares detail on the historic uses of these areas, their listing is as important as any other aspect of the historic building because of the unchanged features they still hold. 

The sheds contain three of the original brick and stone furnaces that heated the original planting of tender fruit in the conservatory in the first half of the nineteenth century. The furnaces were fed by coal to create great heat passed as hot air via pipes into the glassed areas. This hot air would eventually pass along conservatory walls and out through the chimneys. Above the furnaces are large stone water storage cisterns originally used to store water to irrigate the conservatory’s plants. There is evidence of spaces used for drying and storing produce, housing a coal-fired boiler in a brick pit and housing the team of gardeners in a bothy. These characteristics and heritage are all conserved by the work undertaken to convert the space into studios. 

Using these historic working areas ensures that conditions in them will be beneficial for their future preservation – keeping humidity and temperature within acceptable ranges. Studio open days will enable visitors to see their unique historic character and appreciate how they are being used to inspire creativity today.  

Our first studio open day is on Saturday 30 August from 10.30am to 3.30pm. Please come and join us.  

The Chiswick House and Gardens Conservatory is currently closed to the public due to safety concerns. Owned by London Borough of Hounslow and operated by Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, the conservatory is a Grade 1 listed historic garden building, originally dating from 1813, restored several times, with its most recent full restoration taking place in 2008-2010. 

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