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UPM Tilhill restores 17th century gardens

UPM Tilhill, the UK\'s leading landscaping, arboriculture and environmental works company, has begun work to restore Chiswick House and Gardens – the 65-acre West London estate widely held to be one of the most important landscapes in the world for its influence on garden design.

The Chiswick House and Gardens Project, led by the Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, a partnership between English Heritage and the London Borough of Hounslow, is valued at £12.1 million and has been made possible following an award of £7.9 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

English Heritage appointed UPM Tilhill as the main contractor to undertake the landscape works. The company has now begun work on the 90 week project which involves:

• Renewal, replacement or augmentation of paths, roads and paving throughout the park
• Construction of a new public car park and improvements to the access from the A4
• Tree surgery and planting
• Soft landscaping and planting
• Creation of a new children’s play area
• Conservation and repair of historic structures throughout the park including statuary, boundary walls and gates.
  

It is a huge privilege to be managing the restoration of this internationally renowned historic landscape, enjoyed and admired by over one million visitors every year,” said Peter Middleton, Commercial Director, UPM Tilhill. “It is a credit to our landscaping teams around the UK that we continue to secure high profile landscaping contracts that demand the highest possible standards of excellence. Proof that, at a time when pressure is increasing to deliver outstanding results at the best possible price, our valued clients continue to endorse UPM Tilhill as a safe pair of hands.”

The 65 acre Chiswick estate has developed over a period of nearly 400 years, during which time it has been celebrated by topographical writers, artists and historians. The present Gardens are the result of several overlays, and each of these is represented today in a patchwork of influences across the Gardens. The house and gardens were originally formed in the mid 17th century by Sir Edward Seymour, and bought by the first Earl of Burlington, Richard Boyle, in 1682. His grandson, the 3rd Earl of Burlington, with the help of William Kent, designed the classic Italianate gardens which contain areas of great historical interest and feature an obelisk, temple, amphitheatre, cascade and wilderness, as well as a gateway originally designed by Inigo Jones in 1621 and erected at Chiswick in 1738.

“The work being carried out by UPM Tilhill will help to retain and enhance the historic significance of the landscape and ensure that Chiswick House Gardens continues for future generations to be an icon amongst England\'s great gardens and landscapes,” said Martin Clayton, English Heritage.

UPM Tilhill is scheduled to complete the works by December 2009.

ENDS

For further information please contact:
Ruth Roy
01892 861008/07771 940494
ruth.roy@upm-kymmene.com