Today, 13th March 2025, Chiswick House & Gardens Trust (CHGT) has announced the launch of its new artist and maker studios, opening in May 2025.
Developed in partnership with affordable workplace providers ASC (Artist Studio Company), the studios will form part of the Trust’s ambitious new Community and Creative Campus, an exciting project that will boost cultural and creative activity in the Hounslow area and cement CHGT’s championing of local arts and community.
For centuries, Chiswick has been a home for a number of globally renowned artists, from the legendary William Hogarth to Sir Peter Blake. Now, ensuring this rich artistic legacy continues, CHGT is inviting artists to take up space in a setting that offers creative inspiration and access to its beautiful 18th-century gardens while remaining connected to the city’s dynamic art scene.
The new creative campus aims to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive community of artists and makers that reflect the diversity of the local area, ensuring that this historically significant space remains welcoming to all and part of a thriving, sustainable local creative economy.
It will also form a part of the wider Creative Enterprise West, led by the London Borough of Hounslow and the Mayor of London, and tasked with supporting artists and creative businesses across the area.
With London-wide waiting list for affordable creative workspaces totalling over 3,000 people, and 67% of all affordable workspaces having closed since 2014, these new studios also address a growing need for accessible, fairly-priced art spaces.
The 19 studios are already taking shape in refurbished historic sheds, stables and outbuildings in underused ‘back of house areas’ in Chiswick House & Gardens. The new studios will provide a workspace for between 40 and 50 artists, situated in a wildlife rich green oasis of 65 acres within the busy capital.
CHGT is particularly keen to develop strong relationships with artist-makers who have a connection to Hounslow and the wider London community, with a focus on nurturing meaningful, ongoing relationships that reflect the rich diversity of the area. The Trust, which ensures its gardens are open to everybody, every day, is also committed to welcoming artists whose values align with its own – championing inclusivity, accessibility, sustainability and wildlife conservation.
The new artist studios mark the first step in the creation of a vibrant community campus at Chiswick House & Gardens, a £6m redevelopment project that will create new indoor and outdoor spaces for the whole community in coming years, including a new learning hub and the transformation of an unused and overgrown 17th century walled garden into a community fruit garden.
More than just a studio space, this new creative hub will offer artists opportunities to engage with the public through Open Studios, workshops, and exhibitions. Collaboration will be key, with artists invited to work with local groups, take part in community projects, and potentially showcase their work in the Chiswick House & Gardens shop, ensuring creativity remains at the heart of this historic site.
The project will also help CHGT ensure its own future remains secure, generating much-needed income to support its ongoing community work and collaborations with local charities and schools.
The studios, and the wider Community and Creative campus they form part of, have been made possible by generous support from a range of funders including the London Borough of Hounslow, the Mayor of London Creative Enterprise Zone, The Linbury Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.
‘‘We’re incredibly excited to launch these new artist studios at Chiswick House & Gardens, marking the first step in our vision for a vibrant Creative Campus. Chiswick has long been a home to artists, and this initiative ensures that tradition continues – offering affordable, inspiring workspaces in an extraordinary and beautiful setting in the capital.
We’re proud to be working with ASC on this new development to provide artists and makers with both financial support and creative opportunities, ensuring they have the space and resources to grow and thrive in their practice.’’
Xanthe Arvanitakis, Director of Chiswick House and Gardens Trust,
Applications for studio spaces will be opening soon. Details on how to register interest can be found here.
About
Chiswick House & Gardens is a 400-year-old green space and 18th century Palladian villa in West London, open for everyone every day. Teeming with nature, stories and activities, its Grade I listed gardens are completely free to roam, thanks to a generous community of supporters.?
Internationally recognised and locally loved, the gardens are home to lots of wildlife and over 1,600 trees that clean and cool the air. At the centre of the 65-acre grounds is an open, working Kitchen Garden where everyone is invited to wander, taste what’s growing, and enjoy activities run with and for the local community.
ASC Studio Company (ASC) is a London-based registered charity, founded in 1995, dedicated to supporting artists, promoting the arts, and fostering public engagement.
As London’s leading provider of affordable artist workspaces, ASC supports over 650 practitioners and has managed 23 buildings to date, playing a key role in the city’s creative industries.
Each year, ASC hosts public exhibitions, events, and educational initiatives, providing opportunities for artists and local communities. Committed to inclusivity, ASC believes art is most meaningful when accessible to all.
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts. wolfson.org.uk
Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded to more than 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
