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Along a charming, quiet street in Twickenham is a small detached house called Sandycombe Lodge, which is better known as Turner’s House.
It was home to one of Britain’s most famous painters, J.M.W. Turner.
Sandycombe Lodge, Twickenham
The lodge is the last surviving domestic building designed and occupied by Joseph Mallord William Turner, which he started sketching in 1810, with a desire to become an architect.
He achieved his desire in 1813, when the lodge was built.
With callings elsewhere, he sold the lodge in 1826, where it was bought by Harold and Anne Livermore.
It remained in their care until Harold died in 2010, when it was bequeathed to the Turner’s House Trust.
The aim was to turn the lodge into a monument to Turner, which was helped using a ยฃ1.4 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, along with other funds raised by the Friends of Turner’s House (of which you can become a member).
Today, the lodge is as much of a celebration of Turner as an architect as it is of being a painter.
It’s an incredibly pleasant place to visit, not only because it’s interesting, but it’s also off the beaten tourist path, in a quiet and peaceful part of London.
If you are looking for other things to do in the area, Ham House and Petersham Nurseries are not far away, just on the other side of the River Thames.
Highlights of the House
Although the house isn’t very big, only consisting of around seven rooms, it harbours a few gems.
Aside from the elements mentioned below, there’s a small garden to enjoy and a second-hand bookshop in a wooden outbuilding near the entrance from St Margarets Road.
The Stairwell
You will notice the stairwell is somewhat spacious when compared to the size of the house.
Turner was good friends with Sir John Soane, who designed the stairwell in the house.
It’s quite grand, with striking carpet, measures just over six feet across, and at the very top is a decorated laylight, which scatters orange light on the walls as the sun beams through.
Collectively, the vision of the two men created a prominent piece of the house.
ยฃ20 Note
There’s a ยฃ20 note in a cabinet at the top of the stairwell, a note you may well be familiar with.
The note sports Turner’s portrait, which is on display at the Tate Britain, along with one of his most famous paintings, The Fighting Temeraire.
This ยฃ20 note was issued by the Bank of England to Turner’s House because, traditionally, the Bank sends organisations with a close connection to the person on the note a low-numbered note.
In this case, the serial number of the note is AA01 001813, which is, rather thoughtfully, the year Sandycombe Lodge was built.
Exhibition
Upstairs, you’ll find the exhibition room, which was previously the small bedroom used by Turner’s dad.
Today, it contains a small but well-curated exhibition consisting of a series of Turner’s animal sketches and paintings.
You’ll also find his old fishing rod on the wall.
Visitor Information
Sandycombe Lodge is relatively far from central London, and although it’s easy to access, it doesn’t attract swathes of tourists, meaning it’s a quiet, peaceful and pleasant place to visit in a lovely part of Twickenham.
Guided tours are available, too, if you fancy a deeper dive into Turner’s life and the lodge.
They are at 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm, if a tour guide is available.
๐ 40 Sandycoombe Road, St Margarets, Twickenham, TW1 2LR
๐ท Paid entry
๐ turnershouse.org
๐ Wed to Fri, 12โ4โฏpm
๐ 02088 925 485
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