Leighton House in Holland Park is a treasure sometimes overlooked in the haste to see big feature houses in the city. Situated close to Kensington High Street it is very accessible by foot, tube, bus or taxi. The House opens Wednesdays to Monday and is often teamed in promotions with the nearby Sambourne House. Leighton House is the former home and studio of the Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton. The main house was built in the 1860’s. Now it is a Museum of Art and architecture. The house filled with period furniture and artifacts. One of the main features is the Arab Hall extension filled with mosaics and marble, faithfully replicating Turkish and Egyptian interiors from the mid 1800’s. Each room represents a period of the Artists career and is furnished with period appropriate décor, paintings and sculptures. Outside, the gardens retain many of the original ornamental features with sections rebuilt adhering to the original garden design. If you have even a passing interest in art and architecture a visit to Leighton house is a must. There is a café onsite and a small shop. An admission fee is charged and donations accepted.

We were looking for something to do before a concert in Hyde Park and came across Leighton House on Google. We are art lovers but were only vaguely aware of Leighton House, so are very pleased we found it. It is a beautiful house in Holland Park with lovely Middle Eastern decor in the main room and numerous paintings and drawings by Leighton and others from his personal collection. We enjoyed the cafe which offered nicer food than you’d usually find in a small gallery or museum. The cafe staff were lovely, but the receptionist who we spoke to didn’t tell us about starting the tour in the basement with a video, so we only found that at the end by overhearing another staff member. That didn’t detract from our experience though as this house is well worth a visit.

A breathtakingly beautiful house. An introduction film when you enter tells you about Leighton the artist and his wonder home and studio. The rooms are magnificent and the new art work created to adorn the stairs is fabulous. I want to live there!!

Dream home of a commercially successful 19th century artist. Best to visit on a sunny day when natural light fills the atrium and stairwell. Near the Design Museum, so good to visit together. The area is still home to a lot of celebrities, so worth a walk around visiting stylish cafes and shops.

This is the house of the 19th century artist Frederic Leighton. The place is a great setting for his collections. It was a real wow moment going into the Arab Hall as it was truly lovely and very unexpected (I hadn’t read up about the place). This was my favourite part of the house along with the Narcissus Hall. There is also a garden which was nice, a small shop and a café area. We both really enjoyed looking at the paintings etc and this hidden gem is well worth a visit.

This house is off the main tourist path, but is well worth a visit. Located in Holland Park, it is easy to access by the tube. It is the former residence of Frederic Leighton, an eminent British 19th Century artist. The house is quite large and the interior is beautiful, especially the Arab Hall which is an absolute gem. There are many lovely artworks and furnishings, whilst Leighton's simple private bedroom provides quite a contrast to the sumptuousness of the rest of the house. It is also worth walking around the local area to spot other houses of the "Holland Park Circle' artistic community.

Beautiful place to see on a dismal December day. Easy walk from Kensington Olympia. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours looking at an amazing house. Had a lovely lunch with a great view of the garden. A pity that one of the special exhibitions was closed at short notice. Fascinating insight into a Victorian artist and sculptor.

Strongly recommend a tour guide. In our case - Angela. A wonderful experience. Her talk was very detailed, clear, well structured, easy to understand and entertaining. None of us really had much of a clue about Frederick Leighton before the visit and we are all very grateful the enlightenment. One of the most striking things is the contrast between the over the top room pictured and his attic bedroom which is completely spartan. One criticism ; there should have been a reproduction of "Flaming June" with the remarkable story behind it. Finishing the tour you descend a spiral staircase the walls of which are decorated with a contemporary Canadian-Iranian artist's mural which poses only one question - how has it all gone so badly wrong?

Exquisite and approachable. Pictures don't do this gem justice. Excellent paper guide available as well as very informative 15 minute video before starting a self guided tour. They also have an app that can be downloaded. The interior is jaw dropping and the scale/scope is very do-able as opposed to some of the massive institutions nearby.

Surprise gem of the one time President of the Royal Arts Academy near Holland Park. The turquoise tile on the walls along with the tapestries make it a must see. Then head to Holland Park for some fresh air.