Sambourne House

A great part of secret London this was a real gem of a surprise, a real joy to visit a Victorian house almost as it was left and the staff member was hugely knowledgeable about all aspects of of the collection. Highly recommend a visit. A joint ticket will also get you into Leighton house a short walk away

It is a large late Victoria home that is now open to the public as a museum. It retains all the original features such as stained glass windows, a fireplace, curtains, Chinese porcelain, furniture, arts, and other decorations to a fine selection of William Morris wallpaper, throughout the house. It is only a short walk from Kensington High Street, London.

I love visiting historic houses in London. I purchased a ticket to see both Sambourne House and Leighton House which was good value. It takes approximately half and hour to tour this house. It is filled with a lot of artefacts so lots to see. There's a toilet, gift shop, no cafe.

A beautifully maintained Victorian home, filled with hundreds of curiosities large and small. Edward Linley Sambourne is a man you have probably never heard of, but you will have most likely seen his illustrations. This house is an opportunity to see the Victorian era from multiple perspectives, firstly through that of a happy and prosperous family with continuity through generations, and secondly through the eyes of a bright and visionary artist both in pen and photo. It’s not surprising the first Lord Snowden was one of his descendants!

What a fantastic place to visit! I conveniently, and unintentionally, arrived 5 minutes before a guided tour was due to begin. I gladly took up the offer of joining the tour, it was brilliant and informative. I’m not all that interested in art, I went for the nostalgia and history of the house, but I enjoyed every single second and would definitely go back again. I purchased the 2 house ticket and also enjoyed my visit to Leighton house down the road. Absolutely recommend both to everyone!

Such a gorgeous place, heritage of splendid Victorian style. Take all the time you need to explore this beautiful house with 4 floors, all visitable, in Holland Park, and to look at all the precious objects delightfully disposed everywhere. It’s like travelling in a time capsule, the interiors are perfectly preserved. Sambourne was an artist and his wife spent lots of her energies to decorate their family residence. It shows. It’s so unique and personal. I loved everything and was fascinated by this piece of history.

What a nice home you can create with an inheritance from your aunt! If you are visiting both this and the Leighton House (a 9 minute walk) it’s helpful to know that Leighton house has a cafe. It’s interesting that the guy wasn’t very social and did the drawing while the wife played piano, sewed the lampshades and piano cozy, etc. A nice step back in time.

Amazing visit! Such a unique and authentic Victorian house. I have been lucky to arrive at the exact time when a tour guided by a Victorian society volunteer was starting. It has been a very interesting hour discovering about the family and about Victorian habits and way of living. I definitely recommend it even more than Leighton house. I have visited both with the combined ticket but definitely preferred Sambourne house. Thank you to the guide for making the visit so memorable!

Home to the cartoonist Edward Linley Sanbourne, this is a great place to visit if you want to be taken back in time to late 19th century London. Visited in Sep. 2009. The guided tour is great, the actress impersonating the family's parlour maid was witty and funny, the house is actually smaller than you would think. Period furniture and accessories, including "artistic" pictures of naked models in the master bathroom! Thoroughly enjoyable experience.

This house is the same ideas as other historic building with famous previous tenants which displays their art and belongings but this house gives you the opportunity to experience what it was really like to be a guest of the Sambourns'. Dinner served with costumed actors who recreate scenes and events from the personal diaries of members of the Sambourn family. This is a truly interactive experience and sets the house apart from other historic landmarks. The price is £20 per person and dinner is limited to 12 people, we wouldn't want to over work Mrs. Sambourn would we. Linley Sambourn was a cartoonists and photographer ( make sure to check out the pervey pictures in the bathroom) due to his success he and his family lived in a chic Victorian Townhouse, the great thing about this museum is that most of the furniture and fittings are original and not just examples of what it would have been like, such as you find at other museums.