Fenton House

It was snowing lightly when I left Hammersmith, after going to the monthly Reading Group at the Library in the morning, and was snowing more heavily when I reached Hampstead, on my way to visit Fenton House, a National Trust property less than five minutes' walk from Hampstead tube.

Fenton House, bequeathed to the National Trust on the death its last owner, Lady Binning in 1952, was built, it is thought, about 1680/90, but the date is uncertain, as the land was owned by an absentee landlord and no records were kept.   It is a detached house, with its own larged walled garden; when it was built it must have commanded wonderful views in all directions, as it is quite high up.

The house itself is interesting, with most of the rooms painted in a different colour, mostly pastels.  Little of the original furniture remains; instead many of the rooms house early musical instruments from the Benton Fletcher collection.   I believe one of them is often played during opening hours, but there was no music in the background while I was there.

As well as the musical instruments, there are a large number of paintings on the walls, including the Peter Barkworth colleciton, and others on loan from the Sir William Nicholson collection.

Other items of interest include several display cases of fine porcelain - amazingly intricate figures that one would be loathe to even try and dust for fear of breaking something.

The portraits on the stairs include of the children of William IV, including a daughter of Dorothy Jordan, who lived in the house at one time.

Although the first known residents were the Fentons, English merchants who lived in Russia, the history of the subsequent residents is somewhat vague, as no proper records were kept.   What is certain is that it was not occupied continuously by the same family, like some houses from that period.

There is no cafe there, but there is a small shop selling books, souvenirs and honey in one of the rooms at the top, which were originally used as bedrooms; they are all small, with sloping ceilings and full of character.   In fact the whole house is full of chonaracter, with its alcoves and closets and handy window seats.

The snow continued all afternoon; by four o'clock the garden was a sea of white, and the branches on the trees carried a covering of snow.   The scene was a typically Christmassy one, only three months late.   It was also bitterly cold; even inside the house, you needed to keep your coat, and outside it was freezing.   But it was also absolutely beautiful.  

Fenton House is definitely worth another visit, preferably in the summer, when one can enjoy the garden as well as the house.