Fenton House
Vibrant, majestic and multicultural, London is one of the best European tourist destinations. Visit London’s most charismatic country house, the Fenton House. Thomas Sympson was the first owner whose widow sold the house to Joshua Gee (1667-1730). Gee was a merchant in silk, iron and other commodities and also an adviser to the Board of Trade and Plantations. The second recorded owner, he bought Fenton House in 1706, and was a founding partner with George Washington's father in the Principio Company which was formed to produce pig iron in Maryland USA for sale in England. A Quaker and a personal friend of William Penn, (Pennsylvania is named after him) he was one of eight men who procured Penn's release after he had been imprisoned for his steward's dishonesty.
The mementoes of Joshua Gee's ownership of Fenton House are his initials and those of his wife (JAG) entwined in the ironwork over the front gate. The gates are of unusually high quality made by a craftsman working under Jean Tijou.
One of the earliest and largest houses in Hampstead the house is architecturally outstanding, although the architect and even the name of the family for whom it was built are lost. Every year millions of visitors from all around the world visit London and enjoys its magnificent tourist attractions. The best way to see the sights and sounds of London are through the London guided tour or the coach tours London.
Fenton House is now best known for its collection of early keyboard instruments but it also houses outstanding porcelain, needlework, paintings and other collections. Later came Phillip Fenton who gave the house its name, and his son James who added the colonnade for the main entrance.
This charming 17th-century merchant's house has remained architecturally little altered during more than 300 years of continuous occupation, while the large garden is also remarkably unchanged since it was described in 1756 as 'pleasant... well planted with fruit-trees, and a kitchen garden, all inclos'd with a substantial brick wall'. Lady Katherine Binning bought the house in 1936 and filled it with her highly decorative collections of porcelain, Georgian furniture and 17th-century needlework. The sound of early keyboard instruments and the colours of early 20th-century drawings and paintings add to a captivating experience.
Don't miss
'London's most enchanting country house' (Country Life).
World-class collections of Oriental, European and English porcelain.
Benton Fletcher Collection of early keyboard instruments, in playing condition.
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