London Art Tours - for the visitor to London who wishes to view and experience the incomparable art and architecture of the city, via galleries and exhibitions.

Leighton House 12, Holland Park Road, London W14 8LZ tel: 020-7602 3316 www.rbkc.gov.uk tube: High St Kensington Weds-Mon 11:00-17:30 admission: £3 (£1)

Amid the prosperous nineteenth century villas of Holland Park stands one of the most remarkable interiors in London. 12, Holland Park Road was built in 1866 as the residence of Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830-1896). It remained so for the last 30 years of his life. Described in The Buildings of England as "the most colourful and sumptuous nineteenth century artist's home in London", here you will encounter an atmosphere redolent of one of England's greatest Victorian artists. Leighton was an extraordinarily successful painter; President of the Royal Academy his style epitomises High Victorian Classicism. The house served as studio, gallery, office and home. It was here that Leighton lived, worked, socialised and conducted his business affairs. The original contents of the house were sold at auction shortly after his death in 1896 but slowly pieces from the collections have been returned to the house and what the visitor sees today conjures up a powerful sense of the artist - his talent, tastes and working methods. The Arab Hall is surely one of the most dramatic and exotic spaces in a domestic interior in London. It displays a priceless collection of tiles dating back to the thirteenth century and supplemented by the work of Leighton's contemporaries William de Morgan and Walter Crane. Leighton was a great music-lover and the tradition continues with a programme of concerts performed in his studio, while a programme of temporary exhibitions explores various aspects of the artist and members of his circle. The Arab Hall Leighton's studio paintings by Burne-Jones, Millais, Moore and Alma-Tadema Experiencing the beauty of Leighton House with a London Art Tours guide will leave you with a real understanding of the man whose artistic legacy we see today in galleries throughout the world. Here you will see them in the private setting in which many of them were created.