The Iveagh Bequest Kenwood
Set in the leafy surroundings of Hampstead Heath in London , Kenwood House designed by Robert Adams contains the Iveagh Bequest, one of Britain’s most impressive art collections.
A fashionable Georgian villa, Kenwood House was designed by the imminent architect Robert Adams who transformed an original red brick building into a Palladian Palace between 1764 and 1779, for Lord Mansfield. The lavishly decorated library is widely considered as one of Robert Adams’ masterpieces.
In 1925, the first Earl of Iveagh, Edward Guinness of the famous brewing family, bought Kenwood House and gardens. When he died in 1927, the Earl of Iveagh bequeathed his estate to the nation along with part of his art collection.
This fabulous collection, the Iveagh Bequest, contains important works by great artists including Rembrandt, Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough. Fittingly, given the location of Kenwood House, the collection includes Constable’s ‘Hampstead Heath with Pond and Bathers’. The collection on display also includes works from Elizabethan artists such as Van Dyck.
Outside, the fabulous grounds of Kenwood House were influenced by the great English landscape gardener Humphrey Repton and host outdoor concerts in the summer. Visitors can enjoy meandering lakeside walks and woodland strolls, but the most notable feature from the grounds are the stunning hill top views across London.
