The grandest garden in West London?

West London is famous for its gardens. Chiswick House boasts one of the first landscape gardens in England, designed by the architect William Kent. Kew Gardens contains arguably the biggest and most diverse botanical collection in the world. And Richmond is the largest of the city’s royal parks, home to historic herds of deer.

But, some of the more interesting gardens are still privately owned. This is certainly the case for Walpole House on Chiswick Mall, with its unique blend of Georgian and Tudor architecture. It has been home to sculptors, writers and a royal mistress, and its listed grounds are no less fascinating.

Originally, Walpole House stood alone beside the Thames, with gardens stretching out on every side. As the gardener Michael Kerr explains, ‘I’ve seen an etching of the original house, before the rest of the street was built, when it was surrounded by a small estate.’

Today, the garden carries the traces of that older estate. For instance, the south-west wall features a filled-in archway that once led to an old tennis court. Meanwhile, the neighbouring gardens on the east side of the house contain masonry from the former stable blocks. Furthermore, the wall of plum-coloured brick marking the far end of the garden is the only remaining section of College House, where the scholars at Westminster School came during times of plague.

The modern garden of a little under half an acre owes its shape to Evelyn Benson, wife of the banker and art collector Robin Benson who purchased Walpole House in 1926. She laid out the terrace of York stone in front of the house, with steps leading up to a series of lawns. During the war, the garden fell into disrepair, but when Walpole House was inherited by the historical architect Jeremy Benson and his wife, they restored both the property and the grounds.

Michael Kerr trained at Kew and has worked on gardens in London, Sussex and Portugal. When he began at Walpole House in the mid-2000s, the garden was much more open. Though this created a sense of spectacle, he wanted a more layered garden, with a greater sense of structure and complexity.

Now, when visitors step from the house, the first lawn is framed by magnolias. Michael planted the second of these to ensure a sense of balance, the two plants blossom pink and white in the spring. Beyond is an avenue of limes providing a vista that runs the length of the main lawn, which Michael also planted to give the garden greater depth.

‘It’s more playful and it’s more powerful when you get a tiered garden rising up through different levels,’ Michael explains. ‘You feel like you are entering new areas.’

That avenue leads towards a beautiful sculpture by the British Trinidadian artist Zak Ové titled Time Tunnel. Resembling an exploded sundial made from stained glass, its concentric rings form a circular target when seen from the house. This focal point occupies a paved area enclosed by yew hedges, which Michael likewise built to provide a stage for the sculpture.

Originally the garden contained a pair of tall poplars. One of these was blown over in a storm, while the other became diseased. Removing the two trees lowered the garden’s height, resulting in more light and space. The site of the second poplar is now filled with hydrangeas, marking the start of the ‘wild part of the garden,’ where the formal design gives way to more natural planting.

But perhaps the highlight of the whole site is the pond on the western side, filled with golden orfe. This was also the design of Evelyn Benson and likewise encircled by flags of York stone. ‘Very Arts and Crafts,’ Michael comments. ‘It reminds me of Hestercombe House in Somerset, where the gardens were designed by Gertrude Jekyll.’

To begin with, the pond was surrounded by metal fencing and climbing roses. In Michael’s view, it was the ‘worst part’ of the garden, so he ringed the pond with more yew hedges. The result is a sanctuary within a sanctuary, where it’s possible to sit and listen to the plashing of the fountains, or else watch the fish weave back and forth through the water. Here you feel far away from the city, hidden in one of the unknown treasures of West London.

Explore Walpole House here.