Hampstead’s Oldest House: A Visit To Fenton House

I find myself in Hampstead fairly regularly, but I had never been to Fenton House, the oldest house in Hampstead, until very recently.

It is a beautiful late 17th century merchant’s house with wonderful walled gardens and is today owned by the National Trust. 

Hampstead’s Origins

Hampstead was once a small, fairly unremarkable, village outside of London.

In the late 17th century, as London started to grow and it suffered the dual disasters of the Great Plague in 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666, Hampstead started to become a popular place for the wealthy to live in and escape the dirt and grime of the city.

In the 18th century Hampstead’s reputation grew even further when ‘healing waters’ were discovered from springs there. It grew into a spa town and many grand houses were built. 

The Origins Of Fenton House

Fenton House was built in the late 1680s or early 1690s, so slightly predates the rapid growth of Hampstead in the 18th century.

The sturdy and impressive red-brick building was designed by William Eades. Pevsner, the architectural historian, describes it as ‘“the straightforward domestic classicism of the William and Mary period”.

It was first occupied by Thomas Sympson and in 1706 was purchased by Joshua Gee, a Quaker linen merchant.

Gee was also involved in the iron trade and co-founded a company in America that produced pig iron to sell in England. One of his early partners in America was a man called Augustine Washington (1694-1743), the father of George Washington. 

Fenton House was known as Ostend House for a while in the early 18th century, then Clock House in the later 18th century, before being acquired by Philip Fenton in 1793.

The Fentons

Philip Fenton (1731-1806) was a merchant from Yorkshire who operated out of Riga, in modern day Latvia, but then part of Russia, exporting Russian goods back to Britain.

Fenton made various aesthetic changes to the building, including adding a portico and pediment over the entranceway.

He also heavily remodelled the interior of the house.

Philip spent the last 13 years of his life at Fenton House and died in 1806. James Fenton inherited the house from his father, moving the entrance from the South to the East and adding a dramatic colonnade, giving it a more Regency feel. 

James was involved in the fight in the early 19th century to stop the Lord of the Manor of Hampstead, Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson, from developing Hampstead Heath. He presided over a meeting in 1829 to organise local residents against this move. In the end, thankfully, in 1871, Wilson’s heir ceded the rights to the public and the Heath has been owned and managed by the City of London ever since. 

Lady Binning and the National Trust

The last private owner was Lady Katherine Binning.

Lady Binning was the wealthy widow of the heir to the Earl of Haddington who had died in 1917. She bought Fenton House in 1936 and filled it with her large collection of porcelain, furniture and embroidery. 

When Lady Binning died in 1952 she bequeathed the house and her collection to the National Trust. 

What To See

If porcelain is your thing, then Fenton House is definitely worth a visit!

Also on display in the house is a collection of early keyboard and other instruments . They were donated to the National Trust by Major George Benton Fletcher, 15 years before Fenton House was and they have found a suitable home here. 

Benton donated them on the condition that they would be regularly played, so occasionally if you are lucky, you will see/hear one of the musicians who come in to play them.

The Gardens

The interiors are lovely but walled garden was actually the highlight of the house for me.

The garden is also a lot bigger than it looks. fI you go right to the back, you can go down a few steps into the adjoining space which is home to Fenton House’s 300 year old orchard. 

Artworks

The house is also home to a collection of paintings, largely from the collection of Peter Barkworth (1929-2006), an actor and resident of Hampstead for over 40 years. 

There a couple of paintings by John Constable and two portraits of William IV, as the Duke of Clarence, and George IV as Prince of Wales. 

There are a number of portraits also of actress Dorothea Bland, or ‘Mrs Jordan’, the mistress of William IV.

She had ten illegitimate children with him, all of whom have the surname ‘Fitzclarence’. There is for example a portrait of one of their children, Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence.

How To Visit

Fenton House generally shuts for a few months over the winter, but is open the rest of the year on Fridays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays.

An adult ticket for the house and garden is £12 but, of course, free for National Trust members. The garden can be visited on its own for £7 and again free for NT members.

They recommend pre-booking your visit on their website. You can see more details here.

Thank you very much for reading. More of London’s amazing historical spots below!