The heart of Hampstead is filled with historic houses. None are more beautiful than its oldest, Fenton House, standing on a slight rise in Hampstead Grove just above Hampstead station. A late 17th-century brick-built merchant’s country house, Fenton House sits comfortably within its own grounds, and, although it is substantial, the scale is domestic. The beauty of Fenton house lies not just in its well-chosen situation but in its compact Carolean 1680s architecture, almost that of the ideal dolls house: tall sash windows which narrow at its ends as if deferring to its centre, that, in turn, breaks forward like a fine mahogany bookcase, covered by a hipped and dormered roof, on which are galleried spaces serving as look outs over London. On the garden front, a fine sunken lawn reaches out to a 300-year-old orchard still vigorously providing a fine apple crop each year!
With three small and discrete collections on show, Fenton House could be described as an art gallery on a domestic scale offering quiet beauty and opportunities for close viewing. The red brick house is the setting for objects and art of exceptional quality, assembled by discerning collectors. Delicate 17th-century needlework sits alongside rare Chinese cloisonné, early 20th-century pictures, and 16th-century keyboard instruments.
The remarkable traveller, social reformer and artist Major Benton Fletcher gave his collection of musical instruments to the National Trust in 1938. In 1952, they were installed in Fenton House The House has become renowned for its astounding keyboard instruments including six 18c harpsichords, three of which were made by the famous Kirkman and two by the famous Burkat Shudi, who worked in Soho in the time of Hogarth and Gainsborough. For musicians these are exceptional instruments to play. For non-musicians they are objects of great beauty, veneered with walnut and amboyna wood. There are even earlier instruments: an Italian harpsichord of about 1590, with a painting of Moses and Aaron in its lid, ancient virginals of the early 16c, and a 1612 Ruckers harpsichord from the Royal Collection. We will be treated to a short concert by one of the professional musicians in demand by Fenton House for such private events as ours.
In 1936, the house was bought by Katherine, Lady Binning (1871–1952) the wealthy widow of the heir to the Earl of Haddington. She planned from the beginning to turn it into a permanent display space for her collections. The niece of the picture collector George Salting, she, too, had an extremely astute eye. In tune with the period of the house, there are dazzlingly intricate, even humorous, 17c needlework panels.
But it is her collection of ceramics that is, perhaps, the highlight of her collecting. During the 1930s and 40s she put together a truly superb collection of Kangxi Chinese porcelain along with English and Meissen 18c figures in the same fragile material. Miracles of construction, such things are sometimes now seen as frivolities, but they can be extremely revealing of 18c social customs, fashions and symbols. Their detailing makes us gasp at the achievement of firing works of such intricacy before the time of kiln thermometers!
A third wondrous collection, contrasting yet entirely fitting, joined the house in 2006, when the actor Peter Barkworth, a Hampstead resident bequeathed his collection of early 20c British pictures, 55 paintings and works on paper. The core, and most dominant part, is a collection of oil paintings by members and associates of the Camden Town Group, including works by Sickert, Sylvia Gosse, Ethel Walker and Dame Laura Knight. Watercolour and pencil drawings of the English coast and countryside reflect his lasting affection for the South Coast. The Barkworth pictures are domestic in scale, and fit comfortably into various rooms, passages and stairways, augmenting the 18th-century portraits and a loan group of paintings by Sir William Nicholson. They enhance the sense that the house has been lived in continuously by a family of discernment for three centuries or more.
Please join us for a rare intact survival of a “country house” in a London village, complete with walled gardens, a verdant three-hundred-year-old orchard, and fine furnishings. The collection of keyboard instruments and artwork are ensconced in a truly civilized environment made for peaceful and rewarding viewing and contemplation. Our recital could not take place in a more suitable environment.
After our morning in the House, we repair for lunch in The Holly Bush, tucked away just round the corner. Originally built as stables for Romney’s House in the 1790s, it was used as the catering wing for the Assembly Rooms in the 19th century. It became a pub in 1928, one that has now been awarded an AA rosette for the excellence of its food. Thirsty and hungry writers and artists, and other notable Hampstead residents have poured through its doors for centuries. Altogether, we are sure to have a most memorable day. Please do join us if you are free!
The Holly Bush
22 Hollymount
Hampstead, London NW3 6SG
SCHEDULE
Tuesday 8 September
10.45 am Please meet Nicholas at Hampstead Underground station.
3.00 pm Event ends after lunch.
Cost: including private view of Fenton House, professional music recital, and two-course lunch with wine in a private room in the Holly Bush, £185.
We regret that the number of participants must be limited to 12.
Booking Information:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This study day ‘Fenton House’, has been developed by Louise Friend and will be presented by Nicholas Friend. Cheques are not a viable option at this time. Instead, please make your payment to Friend&Friend Ltd by bank transfer to our account with Metrobank, bank sort code 23-05-80, account number 13291721 or via PayPal to nicholas@inscapetours.co.uk, or credit/debit card by phone to Henrietta on 07940 719 397. She is available Tuesdays 2-5 pm or Thursdays 2-5 pm.
How to Set Up a PayPal account::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Click on this link: https://www.paypal.com/uk/home
In the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click “Sign up.”
On the following screen choose “Personal account” and click “Next.”
On the next page, you’ll be asked to enter your name, email address and to create and confirm a password. When finished, click “Next.”
Click “Agree and create account” and your PayPal account will be created.
How to Connect your Bank Account to your PayPal account:::::::::::::::::::::::
Log on to your account and click the “Wallet” option in the menu bar running along the top of the screen.
On the menu running down the left side of the screen, click the “Link a credit or debit card”.
Enter the card information you wish to link to your PayPal account and click “Link card” for debit card.
How to Send Money::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Log on to your account. Click Send & Request.
Enter the email address of the person you wish to send money to: nicholas@inscapetours.co.uk
Type in the amount you wish to send, click continue then press ‘Send Money Now’.
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