Look straight ahead towards the end of the garden, and you’ll spot a dazzling cluster of white marble statues-larger than life-gleaming atop a rockery and water cascade, dramatically posed among splashing streams and greenery right in front of you.
Welcome to one of Twickenham’s grandest and cheekiest surprises: The Naked Ladies! No, you haven’t accidentally stumbled onto a secret garden party-it’s just the stars of York House’s garden, and they do draw a crowd even on the quietest of days. Take a deep breath of that garden air, maybe catch a whiff of the fresh water dancing by, and get your eyes ready for some serious marble drama.
These leading ladies aren’t from around here. They're actually Oceanids, daughters of the sea gods-eight of them in total, along with a pair of wild aquatic horses, all carved from sparkling white Carrara marble shipped straight from Italy at the turn of the twentieth century. Now, that marble isn’t just for show; each of their enormous blocks weighs over five tons. Imagine the shipping costs!
Nobody is entirely sure which Italian artist crafted them, but there’s a strong hunch they were born in the legendary studio of Orazio Andreoni in Rome. The statues originally belonged to the colorful and controversial Whitaker Wright-a man who made millions and lost them in scandal, ending his story with a dramatic courtroom cyanide capsule. The Naked Ladies were swept up in the ensuing fire sale of his estate, arriving in Twickenham with their intended design and instructions completely lost-like a jigsaw puzzle tipped out of its box! This left a British landscaping firm, J Cheal & Sons, scratching their heads and making things up as they went along. Let’s just say, some of the poses are... rather inventive, especially if you catch them from the side.
Take a really good look at their hands and what remains of their props-you might notice a few fingers missing, or pearls that look as though they once shimmered between their fingers. Over time, vandals took a liking to the details, but most of these have since been restored-including lost pearls, fingers, and even a hoof or two. The statues now bask in their eternal marble glow, surrounded by beds of lush planting, poised on a rockery behind a pond with the River Thames swirling nearby.
This garden and statue tableau became famous for its high society parties back in the early 1900s, thanks to their new owner Sir Ratan Tata, who bought York House and decided it needed a dash of Italian drama. Picture King George V strolling by in his finery, perhaps trying very hard not to stare too much at the scenery!
But wartime brought a very different kind of attention. During the Blitz, it was feared these luminous marble figures might shine moonlight back to guide enemy bombers. So, in a move only the British could dream up, workers slathered the entire set in a thick layer of grey sludge as camouflage. Artistic? Maybe not. Effective? Well, no bombs fell here, so who’s to say!
As the years passed, Twickenham Council found themselves the curious new caretakers of this monumentally awkward inheritance after York House was bought for a new town hall. Attempts to auction the statues off fell flat-apparently not many Londoners had room in their gardens for a herd of marble nudes. So here they stayed, watched over by locals, battered by the British weather, and occasionally by mischievous hands or paint cans.
After the dust (and the grey sludge) settled post-war, The Naked Ladies experienced a full-blown beauty treatment, with restorers chiseling off wartime cement, erasing graffiti, and giving the statues back their lost features. As a reward for surviving scandal, auction rooms, garden parties, and world wars, they were granted official Grade II protection by Historic England.
Today, The Naked Ladies are Twickenham icons-appearing in wedding photos, inspiring a local beer, and drawing visitors with their blend of glamour, mischief, and mystery. So as you stand here, listen for the laughter of the past and admire these mythical figures. Just remember, whatever you do, don’t ask them to cover up-they’re too fabulous for modesty!
