4. Leighton House
George Aitchison's home and gallery for Lord Frederick Leighton
Holland Park, London
We visited Leighton House Museum in January 2014. This majestic building sits on a pretty residential street in leafy Kensington. The museum is the former home of the Victorian artist Lord Frederick Leighton and now displays artworks by Leighton and other pieces he collected.
Our tour started in the dazzling Arab Hall, quite unexpected as you enter through the simple red bricked Victorian facade that sits so politely on the street. Islamic tiles and gold leaf adorn the walls of this jewel of a space. A watery pool at the centre sits calmly underneath a golden dome. The Islamic interior was built by British artisans to Leighton’s vision with materials that were imported. Looking up in the space are intriguing perforated screens to spaces beyond. You wonder who might be spying on this space for entertainment…
Our tour continued upstairs to the well lit artist studio where some of Leighton’s collection of paintings hung. We were also lucky enough to be taken down into the basement to view the servant’s quarters. Leighton’s bedroom is one that we see so often when visiting the homes of historic artists/architects – a simple room with a single bed in much contrast to the elegance and affluence of the house that surrounds it.
The red brick facade is simple at the ground approach but rises proudly to be crowned with pretty brick castellation and hints of the golden dome poking up in the background. We very much enjoyed our insight into the home of a Victorian artist and the jewels that can be preserved in both the art collection and the architecture.