London, Leighton House, meeting place of the Pre-Raphaelites, reopens after major renovation

In London’s Kensington district, Leighton House was recently reopened to the public after a £9 million restoration and in conjunction with its sister museum Sambourne House originally owned by illustrator Edward Linley Sambourne. Lord Frederic Leighton, among the most distinguished exponents of Victorian art and a prominent multifaceted artist close to the Pre-Raphaelites, once lived here.

Designed by architect George Aitchison in 1864, Leighton House was where the most celebrated Pre-Raphaelites, from John Everett Millais to Edward Burne-Jones to Alma-Tadema, gathered.

Today the mansion, which has become a museum, has undergone a radical renovation and expansion, with the creation of new exhibition spaces, a Learning Centre, a cafeteria, and a warehouse. The renovation project was carried out by Studio DBP, which focused on restoring and enhancing the building’s original architectural elements. The centerpiece of Leighton House is the Arab Hall, a room topped with a golden dome and decorated with wall coverings and mosaics inspired by Islamic architecture. Also on display inside the museum are the precious textiles, ceramics and furnishings that Lord Leighton collected throughout his life, between trips that took him to Turkey, Egypt and Syria. The new spaces were created respecting the interior decoration of the rest of the mansion.

A contemporary work was also commissioned: it is Oneness, an eleven-meter mural by Iranian artist Shahrzad Ghaffari that will be permanently visible on the walls of the spiral staircase and is inspired by a 13th-century poem by Rumi that explores the universal themes of love and knowledge.

Syrian artisans also handcrafted a series of furniture pieces to furnish the museum’s new spaces. All of the pieces were created in collaboration with Turquoise Mountain, a British nonprofit established by the Prince of Wales to preserve and develop traditional craft practices in the Afghanistan area as a means of economic regeneration.

With the reopening of Leighton House, two exhibition projects also kicked off: Artists and Neighbours: the Holland Park Circle (October 15, 2022 to March 19, 2023) and A Life of Drawing: Highlights from the Leighton collection (October 15, 2022 to February 19, 2023).

Leighton House can be visited Wednesday through Monday. Last admission at 4:30 p.m.

For info: https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/

Image: The Narcissus Hall at Leighton House © RBKC, Leighton House. Photo by Will Pryce

London, Leighton House, meeting place of the Pre-Raphaelites, reopens after major renovation

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