One of our Top 10 Things to do in the Borough of Hounslow is now do-able once again. Hogarth's House near Chiswick reopened yesterday after three years of renovations.
The house was occupied – no prizes for guessing – by the great Georgian painter William Hogarth, who enjoyed it as a country retreat from the bustle of London. Ironic, then, that his once-rural home now cowers in the shadow of the Great West Road, a postmodern industrial park and the roaring roundabout that bears the artist's name.
The restoration, delayed by a fire in 2009, cost around £400,000 and was mostly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and smaller benevolent societies. The cash has been used on structural repairs to the 300-year-old building. The funds have also contributed to a new museum space devoted to the Hogarth family, and a public outreach officer who'll help spread the good word.
You can visit the house 12 noon till 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. Entrance is free.
London Historians founder Mike Paterson (whose image we've used above) has a more detailed account of the reopening, and History Today has a slideshow.
