|
I am really lucky, the summer has been wonderful and I have the most lovely 20 minute walk to the studio each morning. I can either go through Chiswick House Grounds, or walk along the river. Both are beautiful and provide an uplifting start to my day. Chiswick House and Gardens |
 The weekly produce stall |  |  Pansies from the produce stall |
 Chiswick House is a magnificent neo-Palladian villa built by the third Earl of Burlington in 1729 to showcase his art collection and to enthral his guests. The gardens were created by Lord Burlington and William Kent.  Camelia house in bright sunlight   |   Camelia house   |
 |  Camelias |
The Thames, Chiswick
   |     |
0 Comments
| I haven't been away this year but we've had such a lovely summer for once, it just hasn't mattered.Sunday is probably my favourite day at the studio. Chiswick Farmers’ Market takes place every Sunday in the car park area outside the studios. It’s a great market, vibrant and fun packed with great produce. I go to the studio early and then nip out for coffee or grab sushi or Moroccan food for lunch. I always see friends there and it’s a great way to catch up and to do a little extra work. http://dukesmeadowstrust.org/food-market-chiswick/ But it's not just the Farmers' Market. There are the allotments that the kitchen overlooks; acres of sprawling plots of fruit, vegetables and mini gardens. A whole city of ramshackle sheds. I love it. Jeff, who runs a gardening project each Wednesday for adults with learning difficulties showed me around. I'd love an allotment but I'm told they are very time consuming and there's a hosepipe ban so some of the owners need to carry buckets of water for yards and yards to water their plots. Most have water butts to catch rainwater. There's also a bowling green opposite where men don their bowling whites for Thursday night championships and meadows planted with wildflower beds. And now we have a newly surfaced car park, a nice smart path and hanging baskets outside. |   |
 Acres of allotments   Gorgeous colourful flowers  wild flower meadows |  There's something about sheds .....    bowling green perfect stripy mowing  New carpark, new path, new hanging baskets. |
Well, We're in our new studio in an old farm building overlooking the river in Chiswick, West London. I love it. I am sharing with three other jewellery makers and it's just about big enough for the four of us. It's lovely and light as it has two windows which offer fantastic views over Dukes Meadows, the local allotments and the line of trees that mark the Thames towpath. Perfect. The other artists here are really nice and we meet up at lunchtime and sit around the table in the communal kitchen which is a great bonus.
When we moved in the studio looked huge, now filled with our equipment, it seems so much smaller. It's been great, we've all provided different pieces of kit so set up costs have been minimal and we've got pretty much all we need.
I had one night when the lock to the front door failed and I was locked in (thank goodness we have a fire exit). Now we have a lovely new lock and not just any old lock - it's a Louboutin lock!
Pavilion Studios, Market Drive, Chiswick W4 2RX
http://dukesmeadowstrust.org
When we moved in the studio looked huge, now filled with our equipment, it seems so much smaller. It's been great, we've all provided different pieces of kit so set up costs have been minimal and we've got pretty much all we need.
I had one night when the lock to the front door failed and I was locked in (thank goodness we have a fire exit). Now we have a lovely new lock and not just any old lock - it's a Louboutin lock!
Pavilion Studios, Market Drive, Chiswick W4 2RX
http://dukesmeadowstrust.org
 Studio looked huge when empty when we moved in, April 2014.  View from window over fields and allotments. the line of the trees at the back line the Thames towpath. |  But not so huge when filled with out stuff. The blind helps shield bright summer light.  Summer evening views |  We don't just have any lock, we have the Louboutin of locks!  New torches purchased |
The pavilionstudios.org website has some really interesting information about The Pavilion Building which opened as studios in 2002: "built in a farm building used either as a fruit or grain store belonging to the Grove Park Farm also known as Smiths Farm, which is still standing next to the Pavilion today, it was part of the bigger Grove Farm on land owned by the Duke of Devonshire Joseph Jessop or a name sake was listed as a market gardener in 1862 and was still at Grove Park Farm in 1887 known as Smiths Farm, it was one of the parish’s 17 agricultural holdings in 1900 and 5 in 1920, presumably the only one of more than 150. The fields had gone by 1930 when there were only 2 smallholdings, but the Grove Park Farmhouse still survives today.
The Pavilion has changed its use many times since The Duke of Devonshire sold the land (now known as Dukes Meadows) in approximately 1923 to the Chiswick Urban District Council. The Council then built a Recreational ground opened by the Duke of York in 1926, it contained, Football pitches, Cricket pitches, Paddling Pool, Sand Pit, and playground, and there was also a Promenade complete with Bandstand and shelters, so the pavilion became changing rooms for the Football and Cricket teams plus a 3 bedroom flat for the Park Keeper. When Chiswick Products (Cherry Blossom Boot Polish) factory closed in the seventies the Masonians Bowls Club (named after Dan & Charles Mason) moved to the Pavilion and took up residence on the Ground floor".
The Pavilion has changed its use many times since The Duke of Devonshire sold the land (now known as Dukes Meadows) in approximately 1923 to the Chiswick Urban District Council. The Council then built a Recreational ground opened by the Duke of York in 1926, it contained, Football pitches, Cricket pitches, Paddling Pool, Sand Pit, and playground, and there was also a Promenade complete with Bandstand and shelters, so the pavilion became changing rooms for the Football and Cricket teams plus a 3 bedroom flat for the Park Keeper. When Chiswick Products (Cherry Blossom Boot Polish) factory closed in the seventies the Masonians Bowls Club (named after Dan & Charles Mason) moved to the Pavilion and took up residence on the Ground floor".
