Description
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Marble Hill is the last complete survivor of the elegant C18th villas and gardens along the river between Richmond and Hampton Court. The Palladian villa was built in 1724-29 for Henrietta Howard, mistress of George II when he was Prince of Wales, the house and gardens planned with advice from the fashionable connoisseurs in her circle. Set in 66 acres of riverside parkland, Marble Hill was intended as an Arcadian retreat from crowded London and Mrs Howard's salon became renowned. The grounds sloping to the river were laid out with lawns, terraces, avenues and scattered trees and had an ice house and two grottos, one of which is visible today. The grounds have been open to the public since 1903. A Model Market Garden has been created on what may have been the site of the original kitchen garden, as part of 'Jam Yesterday Jam Tomorrow', a 3-year project that commenced in April 2013 exploring the history of nurseries and market gardening.
Marble Hill is the last complete survivor of the elegant C18th villas and gardens along the river between Richmond and Hampton Court. The Palladian villa was built in 1724-29 for Henrietta Howard, mistress of George II when he was Prince of Wales, the house and gardens planned with advice from the fashionable connoisseurs in her circle. Set in 66 acres of riverside parkland, Marble Hill was intended as an Arcadian retreat from crowded London and Mrs Howard's salon became renowned. The grounds sloping to the river were laid out with lawns, terraces, avenues and scattered trees and had an ice house and two grottos, one of which is visible today. The grounds have been open to the public since 1903. A Model Market Garden has been created on what may have been the site of the original kitchen garden, as part of 'Jam Yesterday Jam Tomorrow', a 3-year project that commenced in April 2013 exploring the history of nurseries and market gardening.
Practical Information
| Site location | Richmond Road/Orleans Road, Twickenham |
|---|---|
| Postcode | TW1 2NL |
| What3Words | ///issues.saves.fats |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Richmond |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Park unrestricted (check website for opening times for Marble Hill House) |
| Special Conditions | Admission charge to House (free to EH members), check website for current charges |
| Facilities | Playground, sports pitches, toilets, Coach House Café (10am-4pm daily) |
| Events | Various events and exhibitions in the House. Tours of Grounds (fee payable & advance booking required) |
| Public Transport | Rail: St Margarets/Twickenham. Bus: R70, R68, H22, 290, 490, 33. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2015 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Site on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens, for Register Entry see https://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list.
Marble Hill House was built for Henrietta Howard, later the Countess of Suffolk, between 1724 and 1729 by Roger Morris, advised by Lord Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke, and possibly with early advice by Colen Campbell. The stable block, now the café, dates from the early C19th. On Richmond Road is White Lodge, late C18th/early C19th, from where the approach drive leads to the house with an additional approach drive to the north-east, both drives leading to the circular forecourt to the north of the house. Near the house is Countess of Suffolk's Grotto, one of two grottos known to have been constructed in the grounds of Marble Hill House in the 1740s, inspired by Alexander Pope's Grotto (q.v.) at Strawberry Hill; the second grotto has not been discovered to date. Excavations have revealed traces of marble and flint patterns on the floor, and traces of the original incrustations of flints, clinker, corals and minerals on the walls; the ceiling was also likely to have been similarly incrusted.
The grounds slope gently down towards the Thames and were laid out in the early C18th with advice from Alexander Pope and Charles Bridgeman with short parallel rows of chestnuts to the left and aright of the house facing the Thames, with slightly terraced lawns between them. Today there are small areas of woodland to east and west of the house, with broad lawns to north and south flanked by trees along the approach drives to the north and to left and right of the lawn overlooking the Thames. There are spacious lawns to east and west with a noted black walnut of the mid-C18th in an enclosure 200m to south-east.
The grounds have been open to the public since 1903 and in the care of English Heritage since 1985. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.
Little Marble Hill, the home of society artist Lady Diana Beauclerk, was situated near the river in the grounds of Marble Hill.
A Model Market Garden has been created on what may have been the site of the kitchen garden that existed in Henrietta Howard's day. This is part of 'Jam Yesterday Jam Tomorrow', a 3-year community project organised by the Environment Trust, Richmond and funded by HLF that commenced in April 2013. The aim is to explore the history of the nurseries and market gardening in south-west London. In the course of the work the volunteers, with the assistance of a trained archaeologist, discovered the remains of the wall of the original kitchen garden. The Model Market Garden was formally opened in May 2014.
Marble Hill House was built for Henrietta Howard, later the Countess of Suffolk, between 1724 and 1729 by Roger Morris, advised by Lord Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke, and possibly with early advice by Colen Campbell. The stable block, now the café, dates from the early C19th. On Richmond Road is White Lodge, late C18th/early C19th, from where the approach drive leads to the house with an additional approach drive to the north-east, both drives leading to the circular forecourt to the north of the house. Near the house is Countess of Suffolk's Grotto, one of two grottos known to have been constructed in the grounds of Marble Hill House in the 1740s, inspired by Alexander Pope's Grotto (q.v.) at Strawberry Hill; the second grotto has not been discovered to date. Excavations have revealed traces of marble and flint patterns on the floor, and traces of the original incrustations of flints, clinker, corals and minerals on the walls; the ceiling was also likely to have been similarly incrusted.
The grounds slope gently down towards the Thames and were laid out in the early C18th with advice from Alexander Pope and Charles Bridgeman with short parallel rows of chestnuts to the left and aright of the house facing the Thames, with slightly terraced lawns between them. Today there are small areas of woodland to east and west of the house, with broad lawns to north and south flanked by trees along the approach drives to the north and to left and right of the lawn overlooking the Thames. There are spacious lawns to east and west with a noted black walnut of the mid-C18th in an enclosure 200m to south-east.
The grounds have been open to the public since 1903 and in the care of English Heritage since 1985. The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England was established in 1984 and was commonly called English Heritage. In April 2015 it split into 2 separate entities, Historic England (HE), which continues to champion and protect the historic environment, and the English Heritage Trust, whose role is to look after the 400+ historic sites and monuments owned by the state. HE manages the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) that includes over 400,000 items ranging from prehistoric monuments to office blocks, battlefields and parks, which benefit from legal protection.
Little Marble Hill, the home of society artist Lady Diana Beauclerk, was situated near the river in the grounds of Marble Hill.
A Model Market Garden has been created on what may have been the site of the kitchen garden that existed in Henrietta Howard's day. This is part of 'Jam Yesterday Jam Tomorrow', a 3-year community project organised by the Environment Trust, Richmond and funded by HLF that commenced in April 2013. The aim is to explore the history of the nurseries and market gardening in south-west London. In the course of the work the volunteers, with the assistance of a trained archaeologist, discovered the remains of the wall of the original kitchen garden. The Model Market Garden was formally opened in May 2014.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ171736 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 25.93 |
| Site Ownership | English Heritage |
| Site Management | English Heritage |
| Dates | 1724-29 |
| Designers | Advice from Alexander Pope and Charles Bridgeman |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Marble Hill House. LBII: C18th icehouse, C19th stables |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | Yes |
| NHLE grade | Grade II* |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Richmond |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Twickenham Riverside |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes? (Black Walnut) |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance (with Orleans Hse) |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Thames Policy Area |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Built in the early C18th, the house was later known as Orleans House after Louis Phillippe, Duc d'Orleans who lived here in exile from France in 1800-14 and 1815-17, before he became King of France in 1830. His widow returned to Twickenham and purchased Orleans House in 1852, her son owning it until 1877. The early C18th house was demolished in 1926/7 and the only surviving buildings are stables, wings of the main house and the Octagon, a garden room of c.1720, now Orleans House Gallery, set in shady woodlands. The riverside Orleans Gardens were originally linked to Orleans House via a tunnel under the road and were purchased by Twickenham Corporation in the 1930s.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Ham House is the remains of a C17th estate and its gardens. Built in 1610, Ham House was extended in the 1670s for the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale, who laid out formal gardens, planting fine approach avenues to the east and south of the house, which also had fine riverside views. The Lauderdales' gardens were praised by John Evelyn in 1678. The house and c.7 hectares of the grounds were given to the National Trust in 1948, and restoration of the gardens to their late C17th form began in the mid-1970s.
Ham House is the remains of a C17th estate and its gardens. Built in 1610, Ham House was extended in the 1670s for the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale, who laid out formal gardens, planting fine approach avenues to the east and south of the house, which also had fine riverside views. The Lauderdales' gardens were praised by John Evelyn in 1678. The house and c.7 hectares of the grounds were given to the National Trust in 1948, and restoration of the gardens to their late C17th form began in the mid-1970s.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The Manor of York was the property of the Crown from Henry VIII's reign and the land leased out from the mid C17th-mid C19th. York House was built in the C17th and by 1661 was one of the largest houses in Twickenham. Over the years it had various illustrious tenants. For a time part of its grounds were detached, but it was reassembled by James Whitchurch in 1746 since when the boundaries have remained virtually unchanged. By early C19th the grounds included a paddock, formal kitchen garden, lawn with gravelled terrace walk, an elm grove with serpentine walks, a small formal garden and many additional buildings and outhouses. When Indian industrialist Sir Ratan Tata bought the house in 1906 he substantially altered the gardens, including a sunken garden near the house and, near the river, a hedged formal garden with a substantial fountain of large female figures, and a Japanese garden. In 1924 York House was acquired by Twickenham UDC and converted for council use, the gardens becoming public open space in perpetuity.
The Manor of York was the property of the Crown from Henry VIII's reign and the land leased out from the mid C17th-mid C19th. York House was built in the C17th and by 1661 was one of the largest houses in Twickenham. Over the years it had various illustrious tenants. For a time part of its grounds were detached, but it was reassembled by James Whitchurch in 1746 since when the boundaries have remained virtually unchanged. By early C19th the grounds included a paddock, formal kitchen garden, lawn with gravelled terrace walk, an elm grove with serpentine walks, a small formal garden and many additional buildings and outhouses. When Indian industrialist Sir Ratan Tata bought the house in 1906 he substantially altered the gardens, including a sunken garden near the house and, near the river, a hedged formal garden with a substantial fountain of large female figures, and a Japanese garden. In 1924 York House was acquired by Twickenham UDC and converted for council use, the gardens becoming public open space in perpetuity.