Leighton Hall
I have no pictures of Leighton Hall, home of the painter Frederick Lord
Leighton, and in a way it's just as well: a picture cannot do the
place justice. A leading 19th-century painter, famed for pictures
of classical subjects (e.g., Flaming June), Leighton built himself a stately
pleasure-dome near Holland Park in London. The house incorporates
both Middle Eastern antiques and masterpieces from Leighton's contemporaries
such as William de Morgan and Walter Crane. The highlight is the
Arab Hall, which seems to be inspired by Arabian Nights fantasies, with
antique tiles, an elaborate Crane frieze of animals and birds, a screened
balcony from which people on the second floor can overlook the room, and
a splashing fountain in the center. You can hear the fountain
through most of the house. The art collection also includes some
interesting Pre-Raphaelite pieces, and on the second floor Leighton's light-filled
studio can be visited.
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