A Look Inside The Sensational Leighton House

Amongst the many mansions and beautiful homes in the Holland Park and Kensington area you will find one particular former home that just happens to be one of London’s best hidden gems: Leighton House.

From the outside it is a rather lovely red-brick construction, but the unusual layout and dome are clues to the fact that this is no ordinary mansion: it has a unique interior.

In the late 19th century lots of artists enjoyed great wealth and fame due to a burgeoning middle class, looking to spend their disposable income on artworks.

A community of high-profile and extremely wealthy artists grew up around the Holland Park Estate. By the end of the 1800s nine artists had commissioned purpose-built studio-houses here, one of whom was one Frederic Leighton. 

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton was born into a very well-off family in 1830 in Scarborough. He spent much of his youth in cities such as Paris, Florence and Rome, studying art. He settled in London in 1859 but travelled extensively, including to North Africa and the Middle East. 

As an artist, his methods were inspired by the Old Masters and he was increasingly drawn to classical literature and mythology for his subjects. He painted portraits, landscapes, created sculptures and played an important role in the Aesthetic Movement, concerned with formal beauty over narrative drama. 

He rose to the height of his profession, becoming President of the Royal Academy of Arts in 1878.

On 24th January 1896 he was created a Lord, becoming Baron Leighton, the first painter to be given a peerage. Just one day later, on 25th January 1896, Frederic Leighton died. This apparently makes him the bearer of the shortest lived peerage in English history!

Leighton House

In 1864 Frederic Leighton bought an empty plot of land on Holland Park Road. He worked with his architect friend George Aitchison to create what he called his ‘House Beautiful’. A home, a studio, a gallery and a work of art in and of itself. 

He, at first, built a relatively modest house but the proceeded to embellish and expand it over the course of the next 30 years until his death. 

The design and colours are sensational.

The ‘Arab Hall‘

The most sensational room in the house is known as the ‘Arab Hall’. 

It is the centrepiece to an extension added to the house in the 1870s. It was completed in 1882 and cost more to build than the whole entire original house. The design was inspired by the architecture of his travels to North Africa, the Middle East and Sicily. 

As well as wanting to create ‘something beautiful to look at’, as he stated, he also wished it to be an atmospheric setting for his collection of tiles, the majority of which came from Damascus and date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. 

It has an amazing gold, domed ceiling and a trickling fountain in the centre of the room.

The House After Leighton

Following his death, in 1900, the house was opened as a centre for arts and in the 1920s it passed into the hands of Kensington Council. 

In the 1980s there was a huge effort to restore the house to its original appearance. From 2019-2022 a major renovation project took place called ‘Hidden Gem to National Treasure’ to upgrade facilities and improve the visitor experience.

As well as the interior design, it is also packed with household items, artworks and sculptures.

How To Visit

Leighton House reopened to the public on the 15th October 2022. It can be found at 12 Holland Park Road, W14 8LZ, check out the website here.

You can buy an adult ticket for £11 but I would also suggest doubling up your visit (£20) and also going for a look round Sambourne House, Leighton House’s sister site, just around the corner. Sambourne House is the Victorian townhouse of Punch illustrator Edward Linley Sambourne. It is also a real treasure trove, preserved very much how it was when he lived there.

Both are open Wednesdays – Mondays 10am-5.30pm.

Thank you for reading, more of London’s unusual historical sights below!