| Topic: | Re:Re:Re::Re:Chiswick House cafe | |
| Posted by: | Felicity Caborn | |
| Date/Time: | 09/09/10 23:21:00 |
| The pretentious (or imaginative if you prefer) design of the cafe and less child/dog friendly policies are probably part of a deliberate strategy by English Heritage. They clearly see the House and Grounds as a major tourist destination. Most visitors to the park before the refurb were locals with dogs and/or kids but it is highly likely that they have internal targets for visitor numbers which require a substantial increase in usage by non-locals. They will not have been unaware of type of people who used the old cafe and how popular so it must have been a policy decision to design the cafe the way that they did. However, I really don't think visitor numbers to the park have risen that much since it had its makeover. This is not to criticise the quality of the work or the way the gardens have improved. Chiswick House Grounds not especially easy to get to on public transport and doesn't have much parking so it is always going to be primarily a park for locals. |