Kenwood House

Brewing magnate Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl of Iveagh, bought Kenwood House and estate in 1925. When he died in 1927, he bequeathed the house,estate and part of his collection of pictures to the nation. The Iveagh Bequest includes important paintings by many great artists, including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough. Recently they have been joined by Constable's oil sketch Hampstead Heath. The paintings beautifully complement Kenwood's sumptuous interiors and rich decoration.

Kenwood contains purchases from a sale of objects from Scone Palace, the Mansfields' Scottish home. This was a rare opportunity to return Mansfield family items and furnishings of the 18th and 19th centuries to Kenwood. These include silver tableware, four chairs in the Chinese Chippendale style and a family portrait by Sir Peter Lely. The parkland surrounding Kenwood was particularly influenced by the great English landscape gardener, Humphry Repton. Set high on a hill, the views of London from these tranquil grounds are astounding.

A brief history of the gardens:

The history of the cultivated estate can be divided into three documented phases: the formal garden of the first half of the 18th century, as recorded in Rocque's map of 1745; the more picturesque landscape from the 1st Earl of Mansfield's time, as painted (with some imagination) by John Wootton in 1755; and the landscape remodelled by the 2nd Earl of Mansfield in 1793-6 and completed by the 3rd Earl, largely to Humphry Repton's Designs.

The landscape was designed to be seen from a planned circuit walk that provided a series of evocative views, contrasts and "surprises" for which Repton was well known. One of today's greatest and most delightful "surprises" is to find this gentleman's estate complete with farm, dairy, stables, kitchen garden, lakes, woods and meadows still surviving so close to the centre of London.

Bordered on three sides by Hampstead Heath, the Kenwood estate, having been maintained as a designed landscape until the 1950s, has a different character from the Heath. In recent years, over-competitive species have taken over and Kenwood began to resemble a 'wild' heath loosing the balanced collection of contrasts between grassland, woodland and wetland. Current restoration seeks a more balanced variety, so that wild flowers, trees, animals and wildfowl may all flourish.

Kenwood is Grade II* on the English Heritage 'Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest'.

DONT MISS:

Rembrandt’s acclaimed self-portrait
The extravagantly dressed ladies and gentlemen in the Suffolk Collection of paintings 
Enjoy the sound of summer with our range of picnic concerts


VISITORS INFORMATION:


Opening Times:   

1 Apr to 23 Dec: Daily 11:30-16:00
27-31 Dec:          Daily 11:30-16:00
2 Jan-31 Mar:     Daily 11:30-16:00
Closed 24-26 Dec & 1 Jan.


Pricing:

EH Member Cost:    Free
Adult:        Free
Child:        Free
Concession:    Free
Family TicketHouse
& grounds    free
donations welcom

Travel: 

Underground Stations
    Highgate Tube (23 minutes)
    East Finchley Tube (26 minutes)

Railway Stations
    Hampstead Heath Railway Station (26 minutes)
    Gospel Oak Railway Station (30 minutes)

Bus Access: Tfl 210 railway Finsbury Park - Golders Green


EVENTS:

THE BIG DRAW:

Date: Sat 9 & Sun 10 Oct
Property: Kenwood House
Time: 11.30am - 3pm
Suitable for: Family Days Out

Help us recreate "Coast Scene With Fishermen" by JMW Turner! One painter at a time we'll be recreating this Kenwood masterpiece in oil paint. Complete a square and release your inner Rolf Harris! (Participation is on a first come first served basis.)

How to Book

Tickets will be available to purchase at the event site on the day.
Prices:  Ticket price is for event only. Entrance to House and grounds is free.

FESTIVE FAMILY FUN TRAIL:

Date: Sat 20 & Sun 21 Nov
Property: Kenwood House
Time: 11.30am - 3pm
Suitable for: Family Days Out

Warm up with a wonderful winter walk around Kenwood’s magnificent parkland by following our festive trail. Find the wooden reindeer and get a chocolate prize to enjoy.

How to Book

Tickets will be available to purchase at the event site on the day.

Prices

Ticket price is for event only. Entrance to House and grounds is free.

TYPE                                           PRICE
English Heritage Members    Free
Child, 5-15 years                      £1.00