Curator Tour: Discovering Leighton's studio
Thursday 10 December 2026, 1-2pm
The home of Frederic Leighton contained three different studio spaces. Externally, it was strikingly plain - the south facade, facing the street, was given the appearance of an Italian palazzo and the north facade was dominated by the large studio window on the first floor. Work started on the house in 1865 but within three years of completion, the east wall of the studio was taken down and the house extended by some 5 metres. The extension incorporated a new canvas store accessed via a trapdoor in the floor of the studio and changed the way the models entered the house via the service staircase. By 1889 another extension was underway which resulted in a large glazed winter studio adjacent to the main studio, intended to combat the problem of London's fogs and smogs during the long winter.
Join Leighton House Senior Curator, Daniel Robbins for this special tour exploring how these spaces were designed, developed and used – both for art making purposes and as spaces for entertainment and performance.
Useful Information
- Group will gather in the reception area of the museum, for a start time of 1pm.
- The tour includes access to the historic house and exhibition galleries.
Meet Daniel Robbins
Daniel Robbins is the Senior Curator of two of London’s most significant house museums, Leighton House and Sambourne House. He was responsible for the award-winning project to restore the historic interiors of Leighton House completed between 2008-2010 and he has also successfully led the Hidden Gem to National Treasure redevelopment focused on the additions made to the building in the twentieth century . Formerly with Glasgow Museums, he has organised many exhibitions and contributed to numerous catalogues and publications around nineteenth-century art, architecture and design. Daniel is an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society and has lectured across the UK and internationally including the Frick, New York and the Ponce Museum in Puerto Rico, where Leighton’s celebrated Flaming June can be found.
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Ticket options
Thursday 10 December 2026, 1-2pm
The home of Frederic Leighton contained three different studio spaces. Externally, it was strikingly plain - the south facade, facing the street, was given the appearance of an Italian palazzo and the north facade was dominated by the large studio window on the first floor. Work started on the house in 1865 but within three years of completion, the east wall of the studio was taken down and the house extended by some 5 metres. The extension incorporated a new canvas store accessed via a trapdoor in the floor of the studio and changed the way the models entered the house via the service staircase. By 1889 another extension was underway which resulted in a large glazed winter studio adjacent to the main studio, intended to combat the problem of London's fogs and smogs during the long winter.
Join Leighton House Senior Curator, Daniel Robbins for this special tour exploring how these spaces were designed, developed and used – both for art making purposes and as spaces for entertainment and performance.
Useful Information
- Group will gather in the reception area of the museum, for a start time of 1pm.
- The tour includes access to the historic house and exhibition galleries.
Meet Daniel Robbins
Daniel Robbins is the Senior Curator of two of London’s most significant house museums, Leighton House and Sambourne House. He was responsible for the award-winning project to restore the historic interiors of Leighton House completed between 2008-2010 and he has also successfully led the Hidden Gem to National Treasure redevelopment focused on the additions made to the building in the twentieth century . Formerly with Glasgow Museums, he has organised many exhibitions and contributed to numerous catalogues and publications around nineteenth-century art, architecture and design. Daniel is an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society and has lectured across the UK and internationally including the Frick, New York and the Ponce Museum in Puerto Rico, where Leighton’s celebrated Flaming June can be found.
For updates on all of our upcoming events sign up to our museums e-newsletter
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