Trip to Leighton and Sambourne Houses

Our lovely group of members and guests had a relaxed and informative visit to these two artists’ homes.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time exploring these two hidden gems of museums just of Kensington High Street, London.

Leighton House is a glorious showcase of an exceptional art collection with unique interiors including the magnificent Arab Hall. We found out that this stunning room had been used by the pop band Spandau ballet in their video ‘Gold’. We got a real sense of what the Kensington Artists’ enclave must have been like in its heyday and even managed to relax and enjoy tea and cake in the lovely gardens.

Sambourne House although much more domestic in scale was equally fascinating. It is a remarkably well preserved time capsule that gave us all a real sense of middle class Victorian life. Viewing both Houses together meant we got a real understanding of Victorian Aestheticism.