The Leighton House Museum is the architectural equivalent of opening up a brown paper bag and finding a diamond inside. Frederic Leighton was a famous painter and he lived inside his work of art.
Don’t be put off by the photo of the front because this house will never win any awards for the outside. It’s not until you step through the door that you’ll understand what all the fuss is about because the downstairs is decorated with those oily-looking lapis lazuli tiles that shimmer like a nighttime rainbow.
The Arab Hall
The kind of words that first sprang to mind when I entered the hall were Sultan’s palace, Turkish bath and Arabian nights because it’s all peacock feathers, Persian carpets and marble columns carved out of a muddy-coloured storm. Everything is dim and dark and lined in gold. The only sound you can hear is the tinkling drip from an indoor fountain.
It’s truly unique, and well worth a visit.
If you enjoy this then try 18 Stafford Terrace (you can walk it in 7 mins); Charles Dickens Museum (take a tube journey from Kensington Olympia to Russell Square) and Sir John Soane’s Museum (travel from Kensington Olympia to Holborn by underground)
The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon
Your comments and questions
Henry This is such a beautiful house, a true hidden gem of London. You cannot imagine what this is like until you have actually seen it. It is not luxurious in the same way that a palace is, it is different to that - more artistic. I think it is like a painting come to life
Cam Awesome. Incredible. What must his guests have thought when they were invited in for the first time? Can you imagine being a Sainsburys delivery driver and seeing this when he opened the door. It has to be seen to be believed. Highly recommended
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