Leighton House Museum
- Location
- London, UK
- Client
- Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
- Expertise
- Architecture
- Civil & Structural Engineering
- Building Services Engineering
- Landscape Architecture
- Acoustics
- Lighting
- Completion
- 2022
- Size
- 7424 sq m
- Cost
- £6m
Leighton House Museum, a cherished Grade II* listed building, sits at the heart of the Holland Park Circle, surrounded by homes of other notable artists. Originally built in 1865 for the renowned Victorian painter Frederic, Lord Leighton, the house has grown and changed over its 150-year history.
While Leighton oversaw the early expansions, later additions after his death didn’t always honour his vision, especially as the house transitioned from a private residence to a public museum.
This refurbishment project focused on carefully removing and reimagining these less significant areas, breathing new life into the house while preserving its original charm. By doing so, we’ve not only restored the house and its beautiful garden but also created welcoming spaces that enhance the visitor experience. This revitalisation strengthens the museum’s role as a beloved attraction for both the local community and visitors from afar. Beyond restoring the building’s fabric, our design introduces new features inspired by the original house, blending seamlessly with its materials, shapes, and colours.
We’ve added a new entrance and reception area in the Perrin Wing, offering fresh connections to the house and garden. The upper gallery space now houses a new staff suite, while Leighton’s Winter Studio has been lovingly restored, with the area beneath it transformed into the De Morgan Café.
We also expanded the basement, providing visitor facilities, exhibition spaces, and an archive to showcase Leighton’s extensive collection of drawings.
The building has been given new legibility and made accessible for all for the first time in its history. A new stair and lift rotunda has been introduced, completing the house’s evolution while connecting all levels and enhancing the garden view. This space is also home to “Oneness,” a stunning hand-painted mural by artist Shahrzad Ghaffari. This restoration ensures that Leighton House Museum can continue to serve as a vibrant cultural hub, enriching the community and preserving its artistic legacy for generations to come.
“This refurbishment supports the museum’s ambitions to safeguard and preserve the integrity of the original house, while meeting the needs of new audiences and cementing it as unique asset for the borough. Leighton House is one of London’s great houses and we are very much looking forward to seeing it re-open to the public at a time when such places are needed more than ever.”
“The culmination of this many-sided project marks a truly transformational moment where Leighton House reopens under a new vision, intended to widen appreciation and enjoyment of Victorian culture, while forging meaningful connections with the contemporary world.”
We've focused on restoring the existing structure and adding a new basement, plus improvements for long-term sustainability. Key renovations include the Perrin Wing, a 1920s addition that now opens into the gardens for events. New functions are mostly hidden underground or within the original structure, but we added a small, above-ground extension with a stair and lift to ensure accessibility.
A new core was added to connect the Winter Studio and Perrin Gallery, featuring a brick rotunda with a lift and helical stair. We reduced levels in the Perrin Gallery by removing the floor slab, using steel frames to support the new layout. Additional office space was created with a second-floor infill, keeping loads light with steel beams and timber floors. Ironwork repairs and structural adjustments were essential, especially after discovering unknown steel beams in the roof.
We performed extensive and detailed surveys, modelling and coordination to identify and develop services plant space and distribution routes which are discreet and sympathetic to the aesthetic and exhibition space which the project is trying to create.
The exceptional daylight has been modulated to allow for a series of imperceptible step-downs to 50Lx maximum galleries. 50Lx objects can be viewed in daylit spaces, and new gallery areas simulate daylight to blend with existing spaces. The lighting concept of stepping down uses integrated accents and reflected light from art positions to guide occupants from over 1,000Lx to 50Lx effortlessly.
