On Saturday evening it was pouring down with rain and cold and windy. But I had promised the kids that we would be going to the park in the dark and I had to follow through.
Whilst many of you with kids might know of the Snakes and Ladders indoor adventure playground and remember the former Butterfly House and Reptile MiniZoo, less will be familiar with the beautiful grounds there and the stunning Conservatory in this little pool of tranquillity just a few miles out of West London at Isleworth.
Paying £17 for two adult tickets and two children’s tickets and a blue light sabre sword we followed the rope lights to the entrance to the gardens. In the dark. The first sight was a magic fountain – which changed colours and water patterns and we joined the path to lead us along the side of the lake. Trees – skeletal without their leaves - were lit in eerie green and winter blue. There was a log at the water’s edge with octopus shaped branches. There were large pillars of pale blue, orange and red set about in a dark meadow. And a string of what reminded us of huge modern Chinese lanterns. Near the low climbing tree there was a modern fluorescent tube installation which flashed and blinked – and all this reflected in the dark water of the lake behind. At the large flower beds there were rainbow light colours setting the plants alive – we especially liked the huge red pampas grasses with the tower statue in the background. The kids were happy enough to be walking around in the dark (and rain) and each light feature they discovered only added to their delight.
Finally at the top of the lake we heard music and saw the spectacular sight of bright beams of light illuminating huge trees across a field in a magical sequence. Then there were more specially lit trees – some even with polka dot projections. There were small water features with blue and purple lights and then, in the pit of a giant oak, lots of dry ice where we could hear an angry dragon. Definitely one where you needed to hold the hands of the little ones. The girls will be delighted at a rather twee grotto with hanging fairies and golden fir cones. Walking further along the roped path we saw a dazzling arrangement of triangles and red laser lights across another field.
Towards the end of the lake walk we found another feature were periodically there was a burst of bubbles from a lit rockery and another wall of prettily lit flower beds. Along the path we continued, catching a glimpse of the rope light lion outline adorning the wall of Syon House itself. Finally we turned a corner to see the Conservatory lit up in a ghostly green. The small pond with the statue of in the centre was surrounded by photographers. More, smaller fountains here. We entered in one wing of the glass house to see further lights around the cacti and walked towards the centre. More dry ice – it was very atmospheric. Then the central hall with an enormous mirror ball, lots of mirror bars and a laser machine producing stars, lightening strikes and other shapes for the children to chase across the stone floor. It was a bit like a scene from an alien movie and the kids were awestruck. It was a memorable end to a fantastic (albeit wet and cold) walk. Just the thing for a Saturday evening treat.
