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Fenton House, London |
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Fenton HouseSummary One of the finest - of many - fine houses in elegant Hampstead, Fenton House dates from 1696. It was built by William Eades, who designed a house with a minimum of carved stone detail, preferring instead to feature brick throughout. The exteriors are largely brown brick with rubbed red brick used for window and door details. The house is two story, with a third level of rooms under the gabled eaves. The interior is a uniform cross shape, with four equal sections. One unusual feature is that each of the public rooms had a 'closet', where chamber pots would have been kept. Normally these closets were reserved for bedrooms, but not so at Fenton House. The house was purchased by the Fenton family in 1793. In the early 19th century James Fenton added Regency detailing and a classical colonnade to the exterior. The garden is worth noting; it is really several gardens in one. A formal area of terraced walks surround green lawns. There is a separate rose garden, and a kitchen garden and apple orchard beyond. The most prominent feature of Fenton House is not its undoubtedly fine architecture, it is the collection of early keyboard instruments. The collection was amassed by Major Benton Fletcher, and includes clavichords, spinets, pianos, harpsichords, and other early keyboards. Far from being museum pieces, the keyboards are all in playing order, and music students may play them if they can first pass an audition. In addition to the keyboards, Fenton House features collections of fine porcelain, including Chinese, Japanese, and European figures.
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Hampstead 
