Photo: londondrum.comIf you’re unaware of what’s inside Leighton House before you visit then you have no hope of guessing what you’ll see, because no one can possibly imagine that a room like this exists in a suburban street. It’s so out of place that it feels like a film set. I’d say that it belongs in Buckingham Palace but it doesn’t – it’s too luxurious even for that!
Frederic Leighton was one of the most famous painters of the Victorian era and spent his early years studying in Paris, Florence and Rome before travelling around Africa and the Middle East, collecting all the treasures that he later displayed in his house.
The Arab Hall
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When you enter the Arab Hall you’re very conscious that you’re standing inside a giant work of art because there are no tables and chairs, no cabinets or cupboards. It’s not a room that you could actually live in. It’s all peacock feathers, crystal chandeliers, and those oily-looking lapis lazuli tiles that shimmer like a petrol rainbow. The lattice-work windows were shipped in from Damascus, the gold mosaics were boated over from Venice, and the tinkling drip that pervades the place comes from a spouting fountain in the centre of the floor.
Photo: londondrum.comThe Silk Room, Studio & Pre-Raphaelite paintings
The Drawing Room and Dining Room next door are more normal with a few paintings and porcelain plates. In any other house they’d look impressive, but coming after the Arab Hall they almost look drab.
Photo: londondrum.comThe Silk Room and Studio upstairs display some of Leighton’s paintings and his collection of Pre-Raphaelites. There’s not a huge amount but he does have a few famous names like John Everett Millais, John Singer Sargent and George Frederic Watts. There’s even a copy of the Sistine Chapel’s Creation Of Adam.
I think everyone should see the Arab Hall once, but is it worth stumping up the money to see a single room? Because that’s basically what you’re doing. If you take my advice then you’ll double it up with a visit to Sambourne House which is only a couple of streets away.
I also recommend… If you enjoy this then try Sambourne House (you can walk it in 7 mins); Charles Dickens Museum (take a tube journey from High Street Kensington to Russell Square) and Sir John Soane’s Museum (travel from High Street Kensington to Holborn by underground)
How to get to Leighton House
| Fare zone | Cash | Oyster & Contactless | Travelcard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single fare | Single fare | Daily cap | One day | ||||
| Peak | Off-peak | Peak | Off-peak | Anytime | Off-peak | ||
| Bus | n/a | 1.75 | 5.25 | 6 | |||
| Train (zone 1) | 7 | 2.90 | 2.80 | 8.90 | 8.90 | 16.60(zone 1-4) | 16.60(zone 1-6) |
| Train (zone 1-2) | 7 | 3.50 | 2.90 | 8.90 | 8.90 | ||
| Train (zone 1-3) | 7 | 3.80 | 3.10 | 10.50 | 10.50 | ||
| Train (zone 1-4) | 7 | 4.60 | 3.40 | 12.80 | 12.80 | ||
| Note: Prices are correct as of | |||||||
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Your comments (2)
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Henry This is such a beautiful house, a true hidden gem of London. You cannot imagine what this is like until you have actually seen it. It is not luxurious in the same way that a palace is, it is different to that – more artistic. I think it is like a painting come to life.
Cam Awesome. Incredible. What must his guests have thought when they were invited in for the first time? Can you imagine being a Sainsburys delivery driver and seeing this when he opened the door. It has to be seen to be believed. Highly recommended.
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