Narcissus and the Arab Hall
(Picture: Leighton House, RBKC. Image courtesy of Will Pryce)Think of an artist’s colony in London, and I bet the last place you’d come up with is Kensington. But in the 1860s, to the end of the century, the respectable backstreets off Kensington High Street – then still dotted with farms - were awash with artists.
The most distinguished of the Kensington artist set was Frederic, Lord Leighton, who lived at 12 Holland Park Road, the last reminder of that vanished world. Now, following an extensive refurbishment, it has been returned to its former glory.
