Chiswick

For other uses, see Chiswick (disambiguation)}}}.

Chiswick (IPA pronunciation: [ˈtʃɪzɪk]) is an extensive district of West London, located within the eastern extremity of the London Borough of Hounslow and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) west of Charing Cross. The southern border of Chiswick runs along the River Thames.

Chiswick is situated at the start of the North Circular Road and the M4 motorway, the latter providing a direct connection to Heathrow Airport and the M25 motorway.

The area is not entirely residential: Chiswick High Road is widely-recognised amongst Londoners as offering a significant variety of retail, restaurants, food outlets and expanding office and hotel space. Chiswick High Road is recognised as a premier destination for leisure, containg a large number of restaurants and offering wide pavements which allow people to sit outside the bars and restaurants, lending the area a continental feel. People travel from the outlying areas into Chiswick to enjoy this ambience.

Historically, Chiswick is noted as the former residence of the 18th century English artist William Hogarth. His house is now a museum known as Hogarth's House. It is also the location of one of the best examples of 18th century Palladian architecture, Chiswick House. It is understood that Chiswick was orginally a small fishing hamlet. It then became an agricultural centre before becoming almost entirely urbanised. The name "Chiswick" is of Saxon origin meaning "Cheese Farm".

Chiswick's celebrity residents include Roger Daltrey, Sheila Hancock, Ant and Dec, Kate Beckinsale, Colin Firth, Richard Briers, Nigel Havers, Moira Stewart, Nick Knowles, Devoid of Virtues and Sir Peter Blake. The composer Robert Steadman was born at Chiswick Maternity Hospital.

Chiswick is also known for being the site where the first V-2 Rocket to hit London fell, killing three people and causing extensive to damage to surrounding trees and buildings. There is a memorial where the rocket fell on Staveley Road.

Chiswick is divided into a number of districts that reflect the historical development of the area:

Grove Park
Bedford Park

Nearest places:

Nearest tube stations:

Nearest railway station:

Chiswick railway station

External links

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