Activities in Twickenham

An all-white majestic house – well, mansion really – dating back to the 18th century, Strawberry Hill House is a classic example of gothic architecture with elaborate towers, battlements and lavish interiors. The house and gardens were reopened to the public in 2015 after an extensive refurbishment and hosts regular large-scale exhibitions through the year. You’ll need to purchase a ticket for a guided tour or for the exhibitions, but entry to the wonderful gardens is free all year round. The house is located several miles east of our London Twickenham East hotel, a short walk from the River Thames.

On the other side of the River Thames lies Ham House and its sprawling gardens. A National Trust property, the mansion houses an incredible array of art and furniture and is said to be one of the most haunted houses in Britain. As well as the house, the garden is well worth exploring with a working kitchen garden, heritage crops and a small maze. The Orangery Cafe comes highly recommended as well, open for lunch, tea, coffee, cake and snacks. The house is only open for visitors and guided tours from October to March, with select rooms open to the public.

Opposite Ham House and a short walk along the Thames from Strawberry Hill, you’ll find York House Gardens, yet another historic – and truly beautiful – garden that dates back to the 17th-century. The park is free to enter and open year round and includes a sunken lawn, sea nymph statues and a lovingly restored Japanese garden.

Right next door to the York House Gardens is the Orleans House Gallery, a free public art gallery housing an impressive display of art across several galleries covering contemporary art and local history. The collection spans a variety of mediums including photography, paintings and prints, while there’s also a small shop and a café set to re-open at the end of 2018.

Located in Richmond, a short distance from our London Twickenham Stadium hotel over the River Thames, Richmond Theatre is an impressive Victorian venue that hosts everything from plays and musicals to opera, dance and family shows. Designed by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham, it’s one of the best preserved Victorian venues in London, with the stalls, upper circles, boxes and auditorium draped in gilt and red curtains. The theatre welcomes over 250,000 guests each year to more than 40 productions, with events on almost every week.

Thanks to the legions of rugby fans who congregate through the year, Twickenham is prime ale real estate, and they don’t come much better than Twickenham Fine Ales. Founded in 2004, the brewery has now expanded and makes 20 different types of beer and produces over 50,000 pints a week. As well as stocking up at the shop, they open up the brewery on big match days, meaning you can get up close and personal with the casks, barrels and fermentation process while supping on one of their finest brews, with a range of hot food and sometimes even a big screen so you can watch the rugby action if you don’t have tickets to the game.

No fan of JMW Turner, the world-famous English landscape artist, will want to miss a visit to Turner’s House, where the celebrated artist is remembered at Sandycombe Lodge, built by Turner himself in 1813. The house has been wonderfully preserved and conserved and includes a wide range of prints and drawings. The house is open for visitors from 10-1pm Wednesday to Sunday for self-guided visits and from 1-4pm on the same days for guided tours.