Chiswick

So my stroll along the Thames passed from Hammersmith to Chiswick now, but no difference really to the array of fine houses fronting the Thames footpath

These are some folks' front gardens.

At this point you can drop down from the footpath onto the foreshore itself. So I did. It was low tide so there was a lot of exposed mudbank.

Looking back at this point you can glimpse Fuller's Brewery.

Now if tide is low you can also cross over and onto Chiswick Eyot. But you need to be careful with tides - there is nothing on the Eyot and you don't want to be trapped on it. It used to be used for growing willows for basket making. An "eyot" is just an island in a river.

It was muddy, but offered a good spot for taking photos of the shore.

This is a good shot of the eyot taken head on. As you can see, long but very thin island.

Said House

Bedford House, once home to the actor Michael Redgrave and his brood including Vanessa. Funny how left wing arty types live in the most comfortable expensive homes away from the riff raff.

One has to cut inland at this point to St Nicholas Church in the original village of Chiswick.

The extensive graveyard includes the tomb of painter William Hogarth, below

And another artist buried here is Philp de Loutherbourg - mausoleum below

This timber framed house is Old Burlington, once a pub frequented by highwayman Dick Turpin.

I don't need to say anything about the George and Devonshire pub as they wrote it all here....

And below is Chiswick Square (which only has three sides)