Kenwood House

Over het museum

Kenwood is a villa on the northern edge of Hampstead Heath that took its present form when the architect Robert Adam remodelled it in the 1760s and 1770s. Its residents included Lord Mansfield, a Lord Chief Justice, and the house later served as a home for a Prime Minister and a Russian Grand Duke. Adam's Great Library is the centrepiece of the interiors. Mansfield's great-niece Dido Belle was raised here, and his 1772 ruling in the Somerset case was a landmark on the path towards the abolition of slavery in England.

The parkland around the house is a designed landscape created by Humphry Repton. The house owes its fame to Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, who assembled a collection of paintings to recall the atmosphere of an eighteenth-century gentleman's house and bequeathed it to the nation, together with Kenwood, in the late 1920s. The Iveagh Bequest began with a gift of 63 works.

The collection includes paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Reynolds. The Suffolk Collection of royal and family portraits and collections of miniatures, jewellery and shoe buckles are also displayed. The house is now cared for by English Heritage, which completed a major refurbishment in 2013, and admission is free.

Hoogtepunten

• Rembrandt's self-portrait and works by Vermeer and Hals in the Iveagh Bequest
• Robert Adam's Great Library
• Portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds
• Suffolk Collection of royal and family portraits
• Parkland by Humphry Repton on the edge of Hampstead Heath

Vaste collectie

• The Iveagh Bequest – Paintings bequeathed by Lord Iveagh, including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Dyck, Gainsborough and Reynolds, shown in restored Georgian interiors.
• The Suffolk Collection – Royal and family portraits from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, including paintings by William Larkin.

Opgericht

1929

Beheerder

English Heritage

Bezoekers per jaar

ca. 159.556

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

Kenwood is free to visit. A free day ticket can be booked online until 08:45 on the day, and walk-up tickets are available subject to availability. A voluntary donation can be added to the ticket. Car parking is charged (free for English Heritage members). Kenwood is a cashless site.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The house is step-free. The platform lift to the upper floors and the lecture theatre is currently out of order and is being repaired, so the upper floors may not be reachable at present; ask staff before visiting. Two indoor wheelchairs can be borrowed in the house, and outdoor wheelchairs can be booked by phone. The paths around the house, cafés and shops are paved, but paths into the wider estate are woodland tracks with dips and gradients that can be hard in wet weather. A mobility vehicle runs from the car park to the house and cafés from Thursday to Sunday, depending on volunteers. Accessible toilets are in the Service Wing next to the Brew House Café. Five Blue Badge spaces are in the car park, 300 metres from the house, and Blue Badge holders may use any free bay; drop-off at the house is possible by speaking to staff on the intercom at the East Lodge entrance. Induction loops are in all shops. A braille map and a tactile map are in the Entrance Hall, and Easy Read material is available. Assistance dogs are welcome in the house, shops and cafés. Rooms are dimly lit to protect the art.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Verschoonruimte

Mac's Kenwood Trail guides children aged 5–11 around the house and estate. Hands-on displays tell the stories of the people who lived in the house. Children's meals, children's cutlery and four high chairs are available in the café, and four baby slings can be borrowed in the Entrance Hall. Pushchairs are not allowed in the house. A baby-changing table is in one of the accessible toilets in the Service Wing. The grounds have space for children to play.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Sat nav postcode NW3 7JR, on Hampstead Lane. Bike racks are outside the Garden Shop; cycling is not allowed in the grounds.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe: niet aanwezig

Brew House Café (sandwiches, salads, cakes, Sunday roast) and the grab-and-go Stewards Room café; vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. Three shops open daily and a secondhand art and literature bookshop open Thursday to Sunday. There is no left-luggage service and large bags are not allowed in the house. Picnics are welcome in the grounds (no picnic tables, no barbecues).

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

The house and grounds can be hired for weddings, corporate events, filming and, in May, marquees in the grounds; the Music Room can be hired for corporate events.

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