Garrick's Villa is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhouse (Great Britain), town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the cit ...

located on Hampton Court Road in Hampton in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

. Its park and gardens are listed at Grade II by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

in the

Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by Historic England ...

. The house was originally constructed in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The country house was initially listed as ''Hampton House'' prior to its acquisition by the actor and theatre manager David Garrick (1717–1779) in about 1754. Numerous alterations were made to it during Garrick's tenure by the

neoclassical architect Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...

(1728–1792), including the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many c ...

, the building of an

orangery An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very larg ...

and the construction of a tunnel under the road to connect with his riverside lawn. A wing was added to the west side of the house in 1864. In the late 19th century, the house belonged first to the preacher

John Chippendall Montesquieu Bellew John Chippendall Montesquieu Bellew (''né'' Higgin; 3 August 1823 – 19 June 1874) was an English author, preacher, and public reader. John Higgin was born at Lancaster on 3 August 1823. He was the only child of an infantry officer, Captain ...

(1823–1874) and then to his son, the actor

Kyrle Bellew Harold Kyrle Money Bellew (28 March 1850 – 2 November 1911) was an English stage and silent film actor. He notably toured with Cora Brown-Potter in the 1880s and 1890s, and was cast as the leading man in many stage productions alongside ...

(1850–1911). During the early part of the 20th century the house was the family home of Sir (James) Clifton Robinson (1848–1910), Managing Director and Chief Engineer of

London United Tramways London United Tramways Company Limited was an operator of trams and trolleybuses in the western and southern suburbs of London, UK, from 1894 to 1933, when it passed to the London Passenger Transport Board. Origins The company was formed in 18 ...

, and a single private

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

track leading into the grounds was constructed. The house was converted into flats in 1922 and redeveloped again in 1969. On 25 October 2008, during building works on the house, a fire broke out and was brought under control five hours later.

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures on the River Thames David Garrick Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Grade I listed houses in London Grade II listed parks and gardens in London History of Middlesex History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Houses completed in 1773 Houses in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Neoclassical architecture in London Robert Adam buildings Trams in London