Photo source: Osterley Park House, London-25June2009.jpg: Jim Linwood derivative work: Snowmanradio (talk), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Osterley House stands in Osterley Park, a country estate on the western edge of London near Isleworth.
The house was transformed from the 1760s by the architect Robert Adam into one of the most complete examples of his neoclassical interiors anywhere in Britain.
Its great hall, drawing rooms and library survive largely as Adam designed them, right down to the plasterwork and furniture.
The National Trust looks after the property and its surrounding park.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
A house had stood on the site since the 1570s, built for the financier Sir Thomas Gresham, before the Child banking family acquired the estate and commissioned Robert Adam in 1761 to remodel it into a fashionable neoclassical villa. The Child family retained Osterley for generations, and their descendants, the Earls of Jersey, held the estate until the mid-20th century, when it passed into public ownership.
Architecture
Adam's remodelling introduced a portico entrance and a sequence of neoclassical state rooms, with much of the original Elizabethan structure retained beneath his 18th-century scheme.
Worth knowing
Robert Adam treated Osterley as something of a showcase for his complete style of interior design, extending his work to the furniture, carpets and ceiling decoration rather than the architecture alone.
Gardens & grounds
The house sits within Osterley Park, a landscape of lakes, meadows and historic garden buildings that remains open as parkland alongside the house.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Osterley Underground Station (0.6 miles)
Nearby properties
Osterley Park
View Osterley Park on heritage mapKew Palace
View Kew Palace on heritage mapMarble Hill House
View Marble Hill House on heritage mapHam House
View Ham House on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Osterley House (TW7) there are 7 historic properties, including 4 historic buildings and 2 historic houses, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and National Trust sites.
Within 10 miles of Osterley House (TW7) there are 32 historic properties, including 16 historic buildings, 7 historic houses and 3 palaces, across National Trust, English Heritage and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Osterley House (TW7) there are 70 historic properties, including 31 historic buildings, 19 historic houses and 4 palaces, across National Trust, Historic Houses and English Heritage sites.
Facts
One of Robert Adam's most complete surviving interiors, wrapped around a much older Tudor house.
- Type
- historic building
- Location
- Middlesex, England
Get Hidden Britain
A free weekly newsletter on Britain's overlooked historic places.