Hogarth's House — Attraction in London

THE PERFECT EXPERIENCE TO UNDERSTAND LONDON...

Like many reviewers here, I've passed the sign for Hogarth House Museum (with little exaggeration) thousands of time on the A4 and always promised myself a visit over the past 20 years.

But with a fabulous collection of Hogarth's work housed in the John Soane museum in Central London and shows of his work readily available across the city, the need to go was never quite met with the effort.

That was until I found myself at a lose end one sunny Sunday afternoon in March 2017 and decided to make the journey.

It's relatively simply from Central London, a tube from Piccadilly Circus to Hammersmith and then change for a 190 Bus towards Richmond & alight at the Hogarth Roundabout stop (around 40 minutes).

Things can get tricky from here though, as there is, ironically, absolutely no signage directing to you to the house coming from this direction. But cross the road head back on the pavement to the A4 and start walking away from the pub and you'll find it on your lefthand side (5 minutes max).

Google Maps (as ever) isn't particularly helpful for this destination either I found.

But once there, I can assure you, your efforts will be amply rewarded.

To begin with, this venue really does epitomise everything that's great about London. It's historical (stood here for over 300 years), totally Free (as most of our Museums) and has been saved for the benefit of all (Londoners really understand the importance of keeping things that are or should be treasured).

It's been a museum since 1904 and as ever it was a Londoner (as it invariably always is, rather than a council or organisation) that rescued the home and brought it back to it's former glory and turned it into a public museum, a one Lieutenant-Colonel Shipway

It was unfortunate that on my visit they had had to close the upstairs floor due to some technical difficulties, but it was amply made up by the fact that they had a temporary exhibition entitled "Treasures from our Stores". A selection of artefacts rarely if ever on public display. I got to see many pieces I was unfamiliar with, but they made me smile just the same.

It also reminded me how little has changed in the past 300 years. In his engravings (the largest collection held in the world) Politics is mocked then as it would be today, the stupidity of law, the fads of medical innovation are all mercilessly satirised too (as the photographs will attest).

So, why is this the perfect experience to understand London, because we are a city of firsts, Hogarth created the world's first copyright legislation (Hogarth's Act "Engravers Copyright Act), we are a city that protects itself (this is a Grade 1 Listed Building - meaning it will always remain like this), a city that looks after its residents (Hogarth was one of the founders of the Foundling Museum) and a city that can laugh at itself (Hogarth was considered one of the world's greatest satirists).

Therefore one quick trip will immerse you in all that's London. And if you're coming from Piccadilly the contrast from heaving metropolis to idyllic riverside countryside (once away from the A4) highlights the diversity of living in our city too.

And drop into the The George & Devonshire Pub opposite after your visit (a pub that Hogarth would have likely visited as it's older than the house 1650) - that will show you the Londoners can be hospitable too.

A fantastic gem and...

The grounds are beautiful, but unfortunately we were banned from visiting because Hogarth’s House refuses to welcome any visitors on bicycles.

We were told there was nowhere to lock our bicycles, that Hogarth’s House has no bike racks, and that visitors are forbidden from locking their bikes to the benches despite them not being historic pieces of furniture. Museum staff were extremely rude and made it feel like the decision to ban bikes was deliberate. There is plenty of room on the grounds for bike racks, and yet museum administrators have made the explicit choice to exclude visitors riding bicycles.

The closest bike racks are at Chiswick House, more than a ten minute walk away—plus ten minutes to return to Hogarth’s, then ten minutes to collect your bike after your visit, making the total detour 30+ minutes. This is even more confusing considering it’s miserable to drive to the museum as it has no parking, and it’s miserable to walk there as it’s located beside the busy and noisy A4, the most polluted road in the borough. Why make it even more difficult to visit Hogarth’s House by refusing to install bike racks?

Today was truly disappointing, as I was really looking forward to learning about the history of Hogarth House. The London Borough of Hounslow and Heritage Fund should not be supporting an institution this hostile...

This is a little gem of a museum is highly recommended when visiting London. You need to figure out how to cross the busy highway to get to the house as Google maps isn't that helpful but once you get there, your journey into history begins!

The house and the mulberry garden looks amazing and has its own unique facts about its origins but most people will want to discover the Hogarth's plates and poems!

It depicts caricature stories of society and the depravity of his time. These are timeless stories that reminds me of the political satire cartoons in the papers of current times.

The expression of the faces are fantastic and you could stare at the plates for hours finding all sorts of things in them tickles your brain.

Of course there are more things about the house and the Hogarth's family but real reason to visit are the plates.

It is only about 20 minutes by underground from London City centre and a great pitstop when visiting...