Sunday, June 28th 2026 – 11.00 am – 3.30 pm
Led by Catherine Bardrick and Anna Naeemi
Time for another Sunday Summer Bonus sketch session, and this week (28th June 2026), we’re heading west to one of London’s lesser-known gems: Osterley Park.
With horses and cattle grazing in the meadows, swans and geese gliding across the lake, and fields of wheat and barley rippling in the breeze, it is hard to believe that this oasis of calm and tranquillity lies within Greater London—and just a stone’s throw from Heathrow Airport.
Originally a country estate and once home to the Child family, one of the City of London’s most prominent banking dynasties, Osterley House was transformed in the late eighteenth century by the renowned architect Robert Adam. Today, the estate offers a rich variety of subjects for the urban sketcher. Natural landscapes abound, from lakes, fields, farm animals and waterfowl to mature parkland and woodland vistas. Equally compelling are the man-made features, including the elegant eighteenth-century architecture of the House and Stables, together with Adam’s distinctive decorative stucco work.
Whether your interest lies in landscape, architecture, wildlife or historical detail, Osterley Park provides an inspiring and surprisingly diverse setting for a day of sketching. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Key Times and Meeting Points
11 am – Meet at the front steps of Osterley House
Jersey Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 4RB
What3Words: ///sweat.clever.woods
1 pm – Meet at the same place for the first throwdown and group photo.
3.30 pm – Same place for the second throwdown and group photo.
Afterwards – The Stables Cafe for those who wish to sketch and socialise some more….
Sketching Opportunities
Practical Information
Getting There
Travel
Nearest tube station – Osterley (Piccadilly Line – one of Charles Holden’s iconic designs) – allow 25 minutes to walk to the meeting point. Come out of the tube station and turn left, walk until taking the next left which will lead you through Osterley Village to the main park entrance. Go through the gates and walk up the main drive, bear left around the lake until you reach the front entrance of Osterley House.
Buses – H28 / H91 from Hammersmith
Bikes – there are bike racks outside the Stables Cafe
Parking – National Trust Car Parks near the House (£7 for non-NT Members) plus free parking in surrounding local streets.
Toilets – public toilets are located just around the corner from the NT shop / Stables Cafe
Refreshments – The Stables Cafe – right near the house / Coffee carts plus a Pizza cart dotted around the park / The Park Cafe – outside the main park gates in Osterley Village, where there are also local convenience shops / Thai and Indian restaurants plus a fabulous second hand bookshop in the old Osterley station house. As refreshment options are a little limited, the stunning setting would make for a perfect picnic lunch.
Please Note….
Most of the extensive parkland is free for visitors, but please note that entrance to the House and Formal Garden at the back is free to enter only if you have a National Trust, RHS, or Art Pass membership (£18 charge for non-members). If you do sketch inside the house then only dry media is allowed.
