Sambourne House facts for kids
Sambourne House is a special museum in Kensington, London. It used to be called 18 Stafford Terrace or Linley Sambourne House. This house was once the home of Edward Linley Sambourne, a famous artist who drew for Punch magazine. He lived there from 1844 to 1910.
When the Sambourne family moved in during 1875, the house was quite new. Linley Sambourne and his wife Marion decorated it in a unique style called Aestheticism. Today, the house is a great example of this style. You can still see its influence everywhere. Look for sunflower designs in the windows. You'll also find beautiful William Morris wallpapers and a collection of blue-and-white Chinese dishes.
The House's Story
Linley Sambourne passed away in 1910. Four years later, his wife Marion also died. Their son, Roy, then inherited the house. Roy kept the house almost exactly as it was. He lived there until he died in 1946.
After Roy, the house went to his sister, Maud Messel. Maud already had a big home in London. So, 18 Stafford Terrace stayed mostly empty and unchanged. As Maud got older, her daughter, Anne, Countess of Rosse, became very interested in the house. This interest led Anne to help start the Victorian Society in 1957. Her efforts helped make sure the house would be saved, looking much like Linley had lived in it.
Becoming a Museum
Lady Rosse worked to sell the house to the Greater London Council in 1980. The Victorian Society then leased it. The house opened to the public as a museum. It showed off the original furniture, art, and decorations from Linley Sambourne's time.
In 1989, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea took over ownership. They continued to work with the Victorian Society until 2000. After that, the house was closed for a while. In 2022, the council reopened it after a big restoration. They even turned the old kitchens into new areas for visitors.
Family Records and Papers
The Sambourne family kept many important papers. These include diaries, letters, and photos. They tell us a lot about Edward Linley Sambourne and his family. These records show what life was like for a middle-class family in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. You can find these papers at the Leighton House Museum.
Sambourne House on Screen
This historic house has been featured in several movies and TV shows!
- In the film A Room with a View, 18 Stafford Terrace was used for the inside scenes of Mrs. Vyse's London home.
- Roy's room in the house was a set for the 1987 movie Maurice.
- The house appeared many times in the 1990s TV series Jeeves and Wooster. It was shown as the home of one of Bertie's aunts.
- In the 1981 TV series Brideshead Revisited, the inside of the house was used for Charles Ryder's father's home.
- The house was also seen in Arthur & George (2015), a TV drama based on a book by Julian Barnes.
- It appeared in Life in Squares (2015), a TV series about the lives of the Bloomsbury Group.
