Fancying a day out of central London but nearby, we used our hardworking National Trust membership and headed to Osterley Park, in Isleworth. When built, Osterley was surrounded by rural countryside, but is now dissected by the M4 and the Heathrow flight path [which you’re unfortunately reminded of fairly frequently] – probably not something Robert Adam had to bear in mind…

We’re big fans of Robert Adam (as you can tell from here and here) and he remodelled this Elizabethan house in 1761 for the Child family.

The garden is typically pretty, with a very lovely Adam “garden house” in keeping with the house itself.

The most wonderful thing about this house was the furniture; the house was used as a second home for much of its post-restoration life, so the furniture, paint, wallpaper and interiors are almost entirely original. Although the NT makes a fantastic effort to source authentic furnishings, it adds something special when every monogrammed suitcase comes from the original family.

You can tell why Horace Walpole called this “the palace of palaces”…

Recently we’ve been enjoying some macro shots of some busy bees and insects in the gardens we’ve been visiting – here is a fragrant one, with a bee amongst the lavender.

Have you been to Osterley? What did you think?