Camellia Festival 2013

16 February – 17 March 2013

Times & Tickets

Monday – Sunday every day 10.30am – 4.00pm

Camellia Festival entry £8 per adult
Under 16s Free
English Heritage members £5.00*
National Art Pass £5.00*

*Please bring your membership card to present at the ticket desk

> Book online (booking with TicketWeb)
or call 0844 477 1000

Chiswick House will be open every weekend during February and March, 10.00am - 5.00pm. Normal entry fees apply (free for English Heritage members). Chiswick House re-opens 1st April 2013.

Discounted Prices for Groups

Save money when booking your group visit (10 or more adults)
For more information see the Group Booking information on the right.

Enhance your visit by booking a private tour

Book an exclusive Tour Guide £50 per group (maximum 25 per group)
The tour will include a visit behind the scenes to the Chiswick House Conservatory Potting sheds and will include the restored Italian Gardens.

Group Booking

For booking forms and further requests please use the form at the bottom of this page or call +44 (0) 20 8742 3905.
Groups of ten or more must book their visit in advance.

Eating & Drinking

Come and enjoy delicious snacks, drinks, lunch or afternoon tea in the bright and airy Café (voted the best new building in London 2011 RIBA).

200th Anniversary of Chiswick House Conservatory

Chiswick House Camellia Festival will take place in the spectacular setting of the 19th century Chiswick House Conservatory, marking its 200th anniversary

The Conservatory at Chiswick House Gardens was designed by Samuel Ware for the sixth Duke of Devonshire and completed in 1813. Ninety-six metres long, with a glazed dome at its centre and glass pavilions at either end, it was a forerunner of those designed by Decimus Burton at Kew and Sir Joseph Paxton at Chatsworth.

The Camellia Festival attracts visitors from all over the country to see the collection in full bloom, widely regarded as one of the finest in the country and certainly the oldest in the West. It includes rare and historically important examples of these beautiful plants, with a fabulous array of blooms; pink, red, white and striped. Many of these are descended from the original planting in 1828. Among these is the unique Middlemist's Red, originally brought to Britain from China in 1804 by Londoner John Middlemist, a nurseryman from Shepherds Bush. It is one of only two in the world known to exist - the other being in Waitangi in New Zealand.

This year, as part of the 200th anniversary celebration, there will be an exhibition of early pictures and photographs showing the Conservatory through the centuries, culminating in its complete restoration in 2010.

Throughout the Festival, there will be daily tours with expert festival guides, and a special display of contemporary Camellias, organised by specialist growers Trehane Nursery.


Camellia Japonica 'Chandleri'
Photo credit: John Fielding