Leighton House Art Gallery Museum

Leighton House was the home of Frederic, Lord Leighton, (1830-1896), the great classical painter and President of the Royal Academy. The house was built between 1864-79 to designs by George Aitchison, the house was extended and embellished over the next thirty years, evolving into Leighton's private palace of art.

The Arab Hall is the centre piece of Leighton House. Designed to display Leighton's priceless collection of over a thousand Islamic tiles, mostly brought back from Damascus in Syria, the interior evokes a compelling vision of the Orient. A golden mosaic frieze encircles the room, elaborate decorative paint work illuminates the domed ceiling, coloured marbles clad the walls and in the centre of the mosaic floor, a fountain adds a calming murmur to the sumptuous atmosphere.

The opulence of the Arab Hall continues through the other richly decorated interiors, with gilded ceilings and walls lined with stunning peacock blue tiles by the ceramic artist William De Morgan. On the first floor is Leighton's grand painting studio, where he worked for many hours almost every day that he was at home. With its great north window, dome and apse, the studio is the heart and purpose of the house and was also the venue for Leighton's celebrated musical evenings.

Leighton's own collection of paintings included works by many of his contemporaries, such as Burne-Jones, Millais, Alma-Tadema and Albert Moore. Important works by these artists remain hanging in the house as well as over eighty examples of paintins and sculptures by Leighton himself. With a programme of temporary exhibitions and events, the house remains one of the most remarkable buildings of the nineteenth century.

AccessThe Museum is arranged over two floors with steps to the front door. Regrettably the Museum is not accessible by wheelchair.