The Only Surviving Residence Of Artist JMW Turner

On what is now a quiet residential street in Twickenham you will find the only surviving home of one of Britain’s greatest artists: JMW Turner. Not only that, but he actually designed it himself. 

Today it is tucked between terraces of Victorian houses but when built, the surrounding area would have looked very different. 

JMW Turner: The Artist

Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in 1775 on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden, son of William Turner, a barber. You can see a blue plaque commemorating where their house stood on the street today. 

He was a Londoner through and through, living in the city pretty much his whole life. A child prodigy, at the age of 14 he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Arts. He exhibited his first work aged 15 and opened his own gallery in 1804 in his late 20s.

Best known for his dramatic seascapes and portrayal of light in his works, he also painted a pretty important moment in London’s history: the burning down of the Houses of Parliament in 1834.

A Countryside Escape

In 1807 the commercially successful young painter purchased two plots of land near Twickenham and set about designing his perfect rural retreat.

Six years later the build began. Turner was a keen architect, in fact he said that if he had not become a painter, he would have been an architect.

The house, initially called Solus Lodge, i.e. a Temple of the Sun, was finished in 1813. The name changed later to Sandycombe Lodge.

He used it as a countryside escape: a base for fishing, walking along the Thames and to host visits from friends. 

Although he did not have a painting studio at the house, he would sketch local scenes, some of which he went on to turn into paintings. Most notable of these is probably England: Richmond Hill, on the Prince Regent’s Birthday (1819). 

The view from the window would have once been of fields and farmland, an indication can be seen below.

Turner also installed his father, or ‘Old Dad’ as he affectionately called him, at Sandycombe Lodge to tend to the gardens and carry out domestic duties.

Above is a photo of the kitchen area, with ‘Old Dad’s’ favourite chair in the corner. There is an installation at the house today projecting his shadow onto the wall and also a voiceover from a speaker making it feel as if he is in the room with you.

The Design

The design was heavily influenced by the work of architect Sir John Soane who was a close friend of Turner’s.

Soane’s influence, the architect behind the 19th century Bank of England, can be seen all over Sandycombe Lodge. For example, in the double arched entrance hall, the elegant top-lit staircase and semi-circular shaped windows: all very Soane-esque design features.

Due to being very busy, Turner was not able to use Sandycombe Lodge as much as he had hoped and sold it in 1826.

It then passed through various hands over the next 100 years or so. In the 1880s the area around Sandycombe Lodge was developed and the house was suddenly surrounded closely on all sides.

The Restoration

Interestingly, in World War Two it was requisitioned as a factory to produce airmen’s goggles. After the war it was in a bad state due to the vibrations from the machinery and in 1947 was purchased by a young Professor Harold Livermore and his wife Ann. 

Dr Livermore cared for the house and secured it Grade II* listed status in 1950. He also set up a trust for its preservation. Livermore lived there until 2010 when he died aged 95, at which point it passed to the trust. 

You can see what it used to look like back in 2012 before it was restored here. 

In 2016, with grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, conservation work began and opened to visitors in 2017.

All new partition walls were removed and it was returned to Turner’s original designs. The interiors were also returned to how Turner would have known them.

There are not any Turner paintings at the house but there are a few display cases of items relating to Turner and the restoration of the house. They also have occasional special exhibitions there.

In 2020 the Bank of England issued a new banknote with Turner featuring on it. To mark the occasion of a new banknote the Bank traditionally sends organisations with close connections to the character a low-numbered note (below). The serial number on this one is AA01-001813, the year Sandycombe Lodge was built.

The house and lovely gardens are very charming and certainly worth a visit for those interested in Turner or architecture.

The house is open to visit Wednesday-Sunday 12pm-4pm. Find out more about visiting Turner’s House here!

Thank you for reading! More London history below…