An afternoon at Leighton House – 20th June
Posted by Craig Levison on June 10, 2018
An afternoon at Leighton House
Wednesday 20 June 2018, 2:45 pm
Join members and friends of Central Synagogue for a relaxed afternoon outing followed by tea at a local venue
Leighton House Museum is the former home of the Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton (183a0-1896). The only purpose-built studio-house open to the public in the United Kingdom, it is one of the most remarkable buildings of the nineteenth century, containing a fascinating collection of paintings and sculpture by Leighton and his contemporaries.
Built to Leighton’s precise requirements, the house was extended and embellished over the 30 years that he lived in it. From modest beginnings it grew into a ‘private palace of art’ featuring the extraordinary Arab Hall with its golden dome, intricate mosaics and walls lined with beautiful Islamic tiles. Upstairs, Leighton’s vast painting studio was one of the sights of London, filled with paintings in different stages of completion, the walls hung with examples of his work and lit by a great north window. Many of the most prominent figures of the Victorian age were entertained in this room; including Queen Victoria herself who called on Leighton in 1859. But Leighton lived alone in his palace, occupying the house’s only bedroom on the first floor.
Meeting Place: Leighton House Museum, 12 Holland Park Road London W14 8LZ
Entry cost: £9 Adult (£7 concessions)
RSVP to the Central Synagogue Office on 020 7580 1355 bookings@centralsynagogue.org.uk www.centralsynagogue.org.uk