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The Pavilion Studios built in a farm building used either as a fruit or grain store belonging to the Grove Park Farm also known as Smiths Farm, which is still standing next to the Pavilion today, it was part of the bigger Grove Farm on land owned by the Duke of Devonshire.
History of the Pavilion Building
Sir Peter Blake and wife Chrissy Blake kindly agreed to cut the ribbon and formally open the Pavilion Studios on the Sunday 14th November 2002,
After the opening ceremony we Launched into the Pavilion Studios first Exhibition of our artists work.
Entitled
Thank You, to all Involved
After a frenetic summer the Pavilion Studios opened at the end of July 2002 with the official opening held in November 2002, and since July, all of the spaces have been let. Letting the workspace so quickly was due to the hard work of Elizabeth & David at Diesel House to whom we are very grateful. Our thanks also to Stanhope PLC who donated £5000 towards the cost of the building works, Hounslow Council which provided a grant of £5000, Clifford Chance Solicitors who carried out the legal work for free and MFI who donated a lovely new kitchen. With the £80,000 three year funding that we won from Brett Trust matched by £10,000 from Hounslow Council we have been able to employ a full time Development Manager. The grant provided will also fund office costs, publicity materials etc, and the office space will be located in the Pavilion. The friends would also like to thank all the volunteers who put so much hard work into this project which enabled us to keep within our budget and finish on time, Thank You.
Joseph Jessop or a name sake was listed as a market gardener in 1862 and was still at Grove Park Farm in 1887 known as Smiths Farm, it was one of the parish’s 17 agricultural holdings in 1900 and 5
in 1920, presumably the only one of more than 150. The fields had gone by 1930 when there were only 2 smallholdings, but the Grove Park Farmhouse still survives today.
The Pavilion has changed its use many times since The Duke of Devonshire sold the land (now known as Dukes Meadows) in approximately 1923 to the Chiswick Urban District Council. The Council then built a Recreational ground opened by the Duke of York in 1926, it contained, Football pitches, Cricket pitches, Paddling Pool, Sand Pit, and playground, and there was also a Promenade complete with Bandstand and shelters, so the pavilion became changing rooms for the Football and Cricket teams plus a 3 bedroom flat for the Park Keeper.
When Chiswick Products (Cherry Blossom Boot Polish) factory closed in the seventies the Masonians Bowls Club (named after Dan & Charles Mason) moved to the Pavilion and took up residence on the Ground floor.
Though a period of decline the meadows became neglected and the Pavilion was used very little and became vandalised, which spurred on a local Conservation Charity the “Friends of Dukes Meadows” (Fodm) to arrange with the local Authority to convert the top floor of the Pavilion into the 10 Artist Studios.
The Fodm held an Art Exhibition in 2001 to raise awareness which was opened by Peter Blake and attended by the late Duke of Devonshire “Andrew Cavendish”, the project went ahead, and now the present Pavilion Studios provides revenue for the Fodm’s projects to upgrade Dukes Meadows back to their former glory.
Sir Peter Blake & wife Chrissy
