Background Information

Set in leafy grounds beside Hampstead Heath, this outstanding house was remodelled by Robert Adam between 1764 and 1779. He transformed the original brick building into a majestic villa for the great judge, Lord Mansfield. The richly decorated library is one of Adam's great masterpieces, a feast for the eyes.

Brewing magnate Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl of Iveagh, bought Kenwood House and gardens 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.

The first floor displays a very different array of paintings. The Suffolk Collection includes magnificent portraits of Elizabethan and Stuart men and women by William Larkin, Van Dyck and Lely, given by the Hon. Mrs Greville Howard in 1974. Visitors will be able to view recent 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 eighteenth and nineteenth century 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 stunning. Visitors can also enjoy the lakeside walks and meandering woodland paths.

Most of the grounds are accessible by gravel path and grass, but wheelchair users will need strong pushers to manage the slopes. The Brew House Restaurant and Caf‚ is a great place to stop for home-made food or a cup of tea throughout the day.

A variety of guided tours are available for a small charge: please call the house for details.