I suspect PItzhanger Manor and Gallery may not be on many Londoners or London visitors radar, which is why it is more than worthy of a Quiet London feature. It also happens to be a short hop and a skip from where I live which makes me very happy.
Pitzhanger Manor has recently undergone three-years, and £12 million pounds worth of renovation and restoration. Its new (old) look was unveiled to the public in March 2019. The aim of the project was to take it back to how it would have looked when it was the country home of Sir John Soane.
Who Was Sir John Soane?
You may or may not be familiar with Sir John Soane. Other than recognising the name, I confess I knew very little of him until I visited Pitzhanger Manor recently. Sir John Soane was a creative and an architect. In fact when he bought Pitzhanger in 1800 he was probably Britain’s greatest visionary architect. At the time he already had a home in London’s Lincoln Inn Fields and bought this property in Ealing as his country retreat. He had worked on a wing of the original building when he was a junior architect and so held the property in some affection, in fact preserving he wing he had worked on.
His vision was that it would be a showcase for his collection of art and antiquities and his talents. He also saw it as becoming a family home for a dynasty of architects, starting with his young sons, John and George. To begin with he wined and dined the important people of the day and used the house to show potential clients his work whilst tempting them with his creative genius. Unfortunately his vision was not terribly long lived. His family did not have the same appetite for it as he did, with his son’s showing no interest at all. Children eschewing the family business was clearly not unusual even in those days. Eventually Sir John gave in, packed up and headed back to Lincolns Inn Fields taking his library and collection of art with him. I can’t help feeling a little sorry he didn’t ignore his ungrateful sons and stay a little longer.
A Place to be Inspired
Ealing council bought Pitzhanger in 1900 and it served as the local library for many years before becoming a heritage attraction in 1985. It went on to show contemporary art until 2015 when it closed for the recent major refurbishment.
Four Years of innovation and building work later and it is bigger and better and more inspiring than ever. Part of the renovations included the development of a beautiful gallery which sits in the former library. This is a beautiful long room, painted brilliant white with 3 glorious circular sky lights which it is impossible not to stand beneath and photograph. The gallery will house a series of changing exhibitions with the inaugural exhibition by Anish Kapoor. This large airy space is the perfect setting for his colourful and complex mirrored spheres. We were fascinated by these, viewing them from every angle possible trying without success to understand the upside down and back to front images of ourselves looking back at us!
“Pitzhanger is a forum for creativity, debate and participation, reanimating Sir John Soane’s vision to inspire and enrich our communities with art, architecture and design…. Pitzhanger will unite the past and the present and inspire the future.”
A Place to Imagine and Learn
The restoration of the Manor house with its domed ceilings, hand painted walls and regency features is a delight. The rooms have been restored to the way there were when Sir John was in residence and gives visitors a great insight into his decorative tastes and architectural style. Imagining the creative minds of the time gathered there does not require a huge leap of imagination. An original conservatory had been demolished in 190. It has been rebuilt, filled with plants, painted in calming greys and gives lovely views out onto Walpole Park
A Place to Eat – Soane’s Kitchen
This is a gorgeous Ealing eatery in which to start or finish your visit. It is a contemporay building set within the walled garden of John Soane’s original kitchen garden. The restaurant is open for coffee, brunch, and lunch and dinner from Thursday to Saturday. The out door terrace is a lovely place to sit and enjoy the scent of the flowers from the garden as you sip coffee or cocktails. In the spring there is a pergola draped with wonderful wisteria.
A Place to Walk – Walpole Park
Set on the edge Walpole park, makes Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery a lovely place to spend a few hours. Pick up an ice cream and go for a walk, imagining what it may have looked like in John Soane’s day. Or if you want to extend your day why not walk across to nearby Lammas Park. Or you might want to wander over to Ealing green and have a browse in the one of Ealing’s best independent gift shops All Original This tempting shop stocks work by many local artists. Nearby For Arts Sake is an excellent place to browse London influenced artists such as Paul Catherall.
Even thought Pitzhanger may not be terribly well known…..yet. I suspect it soon will be, so pop it on your list of places to visit and come to Ealing soon!
If you are coming to London and feel like stepping off the beaten track you may want to read more of my Quiet London posts.
It looks lovely Angie! Perhaps we can go there on our next visit!
Cx
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Oh yes, would love to take you there. Lunch in the cafe of the walled garden would be perfect too xx