West London Date Ideas: Holland Park, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith, Chiswick and Richmond

Choosing your end of west London

West London stretches a long way, so pick one area per date. Holland Park and Shepherd's Bush are a short bus ride apart, so a house museum in the afternoon and a play in the evening fit one date. Hammersmith and Chiswick sit next to each other. Richmond Park is a day out of its own.

Some west London places already have their own Kindrd guides. Portobello Road Market is in the London markets guide. The Electric Cinema on Portobello Road is in the rainy-day guide. Richmond Park's general description, tea room and access are in the parks and walks guide, so this page covers only its current rules. Everything below comes from each venue's own pages as read on 14 October 2026.

Leighton House and Holland Park

Leighton House at 12 Holland Park Road was the home and studio of the Victorian painter and sculptor Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830–1896). The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's museum pages give hours of 10am to 5.30pm, last entry 4.30pm, and say it is closed on Tuesdays. Tickets are sold for one house or as a joint ticket with Sambourne House on Stafford Terrace, which is also closed on Mondays. Prices were not shown on the pages we read, but parts of Leighton House's new wing are free to visit.

The museum calls the Arab Hall its most iconic room. According to Wikipedia, it was added in 1877–79 by the architect George Aitchison to display Leighton's collection of tiles from the Middle East, with a mosaic frieze by Walter Crane and tiles by William De Morgan in the passage. The house reopened on 15 October 2022 after an £8 million refurbishment that added a café and step-free access. The museum also runs free walking tours of nearby artists' houses.

Holland Park is close by. Wikipedia gives its size as about 56 acres and records two Japanese gardens: the Kyoto Garden, dated 1991, and the Fukushima Memorial Garden, dated 2012. Opera Holland Park stages summer seasons in an open-air theatre in front of the ruins of Holland House. The nearest stations to Leighton House are Kensington (Olympia) and High Street Kensington.

• Leighton HouseHouse museum

  Holland Park

  10am–5.30pm, closed Tuesdays; the Arab Hall and a free new wing.

• Holland ParkPark

  Holland Park

  Kyoto Garden and Fukushima Memorial Garden; summer opera.

Shepherd's Bush: the Bush Theatre

The Bush Theatre at 7 Uxbridge Road describes itself as a champion of playwrights and a community space for Shepherd's Bush. On the check date it listed Darkling by Titas Halder in the Holloway Theatre until 24 October, The Hungry Ghost by Mei Leng Yew in the Studio until 31 October, and Global Majority by Chris Fung from 25 November to 16 January. The current season, called It starts here, is the first under artistic director Taio Lawson.

There is a café and bar on site, including the Library Bar, which suits a drink before or after the show. The box office is on 020 8743 5050, Monday to Saturday 4pm to 8pm. The theatre has a Ways to Save page for cheaper tickets, but we could not open it, so check discounts there before booking.

• Bush TheatreTheatre

  Shepherd's Bush

  New writing in two spaces, with a café and the Library Bar.

Hammersmith: the Lyric

The Lyric Hammersmith is on Lyric Square, off King Street, W6 0QL. On the check date it was showing August Wilson's Fences, from 6 to 31 October 2026, followed by Michael McIntyre on 29 October, the family show Cinderella from 14 November to 3 January 2027, and Jaja's African Hair Braiding from 28 January to 27 February 2027.

The Lyric lists several ways to pay less. Preview tickets cost £10 for all bookers, subject to availability, which is the simplest option for a date. Young Lyric members can buy two £5 tickets for each Main Stage show. People who live or work in the borough can apply for free tickets to first nights of Main House productions. A £2 restoration levy is added to each standard basket. Access bookers get a free seat for a companion with each full-price access ticket.

• Lyric HammersmithTheatre

  Hammersmith

  Fences to 31 October 2026; £10 previews, subject to availability.

Chiswick: free gardens and Hogarth's House

Chiswick House and Gardens on Burlington Lane, W4 2RP, says its gardens are free for everyone, every day, from 7am until dusk, with a 6.30pm close in October. The Kitchen Garden is open Thursday to Sunday, 10.30am to 3.30pm, also free. The house itself is closed and is due to reopen in early summer 2027. The gardens are sometimes closed for private hire, so check the planned-closures page first.

Hogarth's House on Hogarth Lane, a short walk away, was the painter and engraver William Hogarth's country retreat from 1749. Art Fund lists it as free to all, open Tuesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm, and closed on Mondays except bank holidays. Inside is a large collection of 18th-century prints and original engraving plates, a changing exhibition and a reinterpreted garden. Together the two make an inexpensive Chiswick afternoon.

• Chiswick House and GardensGardens

  Chiswick

  Gardens free daily 7am to dusk; house closed until early summer 2027.

• Hogarth's HouseHouse museum

  Chiswick

  Free; Tuesday to Sunday 12 noon–5pm.

Richmond Park in autumn: the rules that matter

The Royal Parks says Richmond Park's herds of about 600 red and fallow deer have roamed there since 1637. Its FAQ asks visitors to keep at least 50 metres from deer and not to touch, feed or photograph them at closer range. The rutting season runs from September to November, and during the rut you should stay at least 100 metres from any male that seems active. The birthing season is 1 May to 31 July, when dogs must be on a lead throughout the park.

Pedestrian gates are open 24 hours, except during the deer culls, which the FAQ dates to roughly November to early December and February to early March. During those periods they close overnight from 8pm to 7.30am, except on Friday and Saturday nights. Vehicle gates open at 7.30am, or 7am in British Summer Time, and close at dusk. Cycling is allowed on the larger roads and the marked Tamsin Trail, but not on smaller paths.

Informal picnics are welcome, but barbecues are not, and feeding wildlife is not allowed. Toilets cost 20p and take contactless or mobile payment only. Dogs are not allowed in Pembroke Lodge Gardens. Pembroke Lodge, a Grade II listed Georgian mansion that its operators say stands at the highest point of the park, runs the Butler's Pantry tea room. The Royal Parks says King Henry's Mound has distant views to St Paul's Cathedral.

• Richmond ParkRoyal Park

  Richmond

  Deer rut September to November: keep 50 metres away, 100 from active males.

• Pembroke LodgeTea room

  Richmond Park

  Butler's Pantry tea room; no dogs in the gardens.

Putting a day together

A culture day: Leighton House (not a Tuesday), a walk through Holland Park to the Kyoto Garden, then an evening play at the Bush. A cheap Chiswick afternoon: the free gardens at Chiswick House, Hogarth's House after it opens at noon, then a £10 preview at the Lyric if one is on.

For Richmond Park in autumn, go in daylight, keep your distance from the deer, and finish at the Pembroke Lodge tea room. Its home page gives no opening hours, so call 020 8940 8207 first.

Before you go

• Leighton House is closed on Tuesdays; Sambourne House is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Hogarth's House opens at 12 noon and is closed on Mondays except bank holidays.
• Chiswick House itself is closed until early summer 2027; only the gardens are open.
• In Richmond Park from September to November, keep at least 50 metres from deer and 100 metres from active males.
• Bring a contactless card for Richmond Park's 20p toilets.

Questions people ask

Is Richmond Park open at night?

Pedestrian gates are open 24 hours, except during the deer culls (roughly November to early December and February to early March), when they close from 8pm to 7.30am, except on Friday and Saturday nights.

How close can you get to the deer in Richmond Park?

The Royal Parks asks for at least 50 metres, and at least 100 metres from an active male during the rut, from September to November. Feeding and touching deer are not allowed.

Is Chiswick House free?

The gardens are free every day, from 7am to dusk, and the Kitchen Garden is free Thursday to Sunday. The house is closed until early summer 2027.

What's the cheapest way to see a play at the Lyric Hammersmith?

The Lyric sells £10 preview tickets to all bookers, subject to availability. Young Lyric members can buy two £5 tickets for each Main Stage show, and borough residents and workers can apply for free first-night tickets.