The renowned actor-manager, David Garrick, built the Temple to celebrate the genius of William Shakespeare, commissioning the sculptor Roubiliac to provide a life-size statue of his hero to be placed inside. The recent restoration reinstates the statue in replica and also houses a display which celebrates David Garrick’s acting career and his private life in Hampton.

David Garrick by Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807)

Built in 1756, this striking little octagonal building and its 18th century pleasure-garden setting were restored in 1998/99 by the Garrick’s Temple Partnership Project, funded in part by a Heritage Lottery Fundgrant and donations from a range of other organisations and individuals.

The garden was originally laid out with advice from the landscape designer Capability Brown. Working from contemporary paintings, drawings and nursery lists, the garden has now been returned to reflect its 18th Century layout, complete with the serpentine path favoured by designers of the day. Most of the trees, shrubs and flowers featured were also present in Garrick’s garden and are a mixture of native British plants, old garden species and plants collected from overseas, particularly America.

Garrick Villa with Temple to Shakespeare on the left

I was asked to advise on the colour and type of the paint to be applied in the restoration. I have worked with The Temple Trust on a number of projects

My company Papers and Paints supplied the paint, which was specially mixed.

Coincidentally, I also worked on the ceiling of David Garrick’s Drawing Room in the Adelphi (which is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum).

Johann Zoffany. The Shakespeare Temple at Hampton House, with Mr and Mrs David Garrick
- credit Sotheby’s




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