The London neighbourhood of Chiswick may be known for displaying many British middle-class features: Fairtrade coffee cafes, vegetarian restaurants and plenty of families with large prams taking up the entire pavement. What may surprise visitors is the neo-Palladian villa of Chiswick House. Visitors may think they have stumbled into the tranquil Italian countryside (until the heavy English rain makes them realise they are still in London).
The house itself is impressive. It's cared for by English Heritage and an army of passionate volunteers and caretakers. Fans of Palladio will adore wandering the home both inside and out. Entry into the house is closed until spring of 2017, but the gardens are open all-day everyday and are free of charge.
It is in the gardens themselves where you'll see many Chiswick residents going about their daily business - jogging around the greenery, walking their dogs and sharing tea and cakes in the Chiswick House cafe. Taking the classic architecture in stride shows how readily the residents have adopted this seemingly out-of-place Italian villa into their daily London lives.
Find your way with 222 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
As an independent wine bar their focus is on stocking wines from smaller producers, lesser known regions and grape varieties, and also female winemakers.
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The team at the Penny Drop are real coffee geeks in the best possible sense of the word and go to great lengths sourcing the best coffee beans out there.
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If you arrive in the morning you’ll find their popular morning buns with a variety of fillings, sticky buns, beignets, and more!
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Rondo La Cave is a hip wine bar situated in the basement of the Hoxton hotel and has a charming rustic interior with dim lighting.
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The menu has all the brunch classics you’d expect and also some more unusual offerings as well as weekend specials that change regularly...
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Quiet yet somehow buzzing, classy yet unpretentious, central yet hidden. What impresses me most is the concentration of great spots in such a small area.
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The Bloomsbury farmers market is a small market for fresh produce and lots of different food stalls held every Thursday on Bloomsbury square.
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Southwark Brewing company has a range of traditional beers such as ales, IPAs, porter, and bitter - all really fresh and available on draft or bottle.
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Museum Lates is a concept that is essentially a late-night opening when you can explore the exhibitions without the day-trip crowds getting in your way.
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Stir Coffee Brixton is a lovely neighbourhood coffee shop located on the corner of Brixton Hill and Arodene Road which has a very chilled vibe.
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It was set up in 2009 by Highbury resident and cat enthusiast Doreen Rolph, as a place to raise funds for local animal welfare organisations.
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Past topics include tent-making in Islamic Cairo, recycling methods in Japan and underground pop culture in ‘50s to ‘80s Ghana.
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