Fenton House is a historic home in Hampstead, North London, part of the National Trust and a museum. It was built in the late 17th century and has a large garden. The house contains a collection of historic musical instruments and is open to the public on a limited basis.
Fenton House is a historic home, built in the late 17th century in Great Britain, located in Hampstead, a suburb in North London. It is part of that country’s National Trust and is kept as a museum and place of historical interest. There are many other historic homes also known as Fenton House, such as Historic Homes in Montana and Oregon in the United States and another English house in Fenton, England. A restaurant in Fenton, Michigan and a bed and breakfast in Cape Town, South Africa also share the name. The best known, however, is the Hampstead house and this is generally regarded as ‘the’ Fenton House.
Although the exact date is not known, the two-story brick house was built between 1686 and 1689. It is a fairly large house with a square floor plan, built of deep red brick and having numerous eight-paned windows. The roof is steeply pitched with mansard windows contained by dormer windows. Originally, the floor plan was laid out with four rooms separated into quadrants, but later changes have changed this. Later a colonnade was added, on the south side of the house, and a greenhouse. Also part of the estate is a large manicured lawn and a sizable and well maintained walled garden – the largest private garden in Hampstead.
The house is named not after its original owner but after a later buyer, Philip Fenton, who purchased the property in 1793. The exterior of the house has remained relatively unchanged since its construction, but subsequent owners have periodically updated and made changes inside of . In 1936, the house was purchased by Lady Katherine Binning, who filled the house with collections of very fine porcelain from different countries, embroidery and furniture, particularly from the Georgian period. She dedicated the house and its contents to the British National Trust and, on her passing, the estate and its collections became part of that country’s historic catalogue.
Maintained as a museum, the house contains a collection of historic musical instruments, mostly of the keyboard family. Many of these instruments are kept in working order and were donated to the National Trust in 1937 by Major Benton Fletcher. It was his wish that these instruments should continue to be used by music students, a practice which continues today, and concerts are regularly held on the estate. Fenton House and its estate are open to the public on a limited basis and a variety of tours are available.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
