ART & CULTURE
Sandycombe House in Twickenham, described as the painter’s only 3D work of art, now open to the public. This engraving is from 1814
interest – who knew?! Incredibly, the re- storers found a scrap of a pattern and the original piece is on display. From that they managed to commission an artist to create the unique ‘Turner Wallpaper’. As well as these historic touches, there
are clever, new curatorial decisions which help bring the house to life. Tese include audio/visual displays with the voices of Turner’s house guests informing you about their visit. And visual projections, like the one of Turner’s father. His ‘ghost’ sits in his chair, smoking his pipe. Or you can pre- tend that Twickenham is still a rural haven, looking out to the countryside view Turner would have enjoyed. One clearly obvious piece of art was a gift by Turner Prize-win- ning artist Richard Long. Nature is also a huge influence on Long’s
work, and in this work he finger paints with local Avon mud. Te green wall colour also has a nice backstory: it was cre- ated according to a paint recipe written on
www.focus-info.org
one of Turner’s sketches. I like to think he would have appreciated it. It’s the combination of contemporary
skill and historic care that make Turner’s House such a delightful hidden gem. Even visiting as someone who knew his work, I left with a very different impression of the man after seeing his beautiful home.
VISITING
Open to the public Wed–Sun (£6, £3 concessions).
10am-1pm is for self-guided visits and 1-4pm for guided tours included in the price.
All must be booked in advance.
You can do that at
turnershouse.org.
Look Up London was founded by Katie Wignall, award-winning history blogger
and Blue Badge Guide. She runs history walking tours that focus on the quirkier
sights of the city and encourages fellow Londoners to look up to discover more. Find out more at
www.lookup.london
FOCUS The Magazine 31
“Extraordinary care was taken to source contemporary antique furniture that befitted the house.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
