Sandycombe Lodge is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

house at 40 Sandycoombe Road,

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

, in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

. In the picturesque-cottage style, it was designed and built in 1813 by the artist

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

(1775–1851) as his country retreat and as a home for his father William (1745–1829). Turner lived there from 1814 to 1826. Originally known as Solus Lodge, it is the only surviving building designed by Turner, and shows the influence of his friend

Sir John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the Ro ...

. The appearance of the house had been much altered by the addition of second floors to the original side wings. When it was built, Twickenham was rural, as can be seen in the engraving ''Sandycombe Lodge, Twickenham, Villa of J. M. W. Turner'' (1814) that was engraved by W. B. Cooke after William Havell and is now held at

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in En ...

. Since the sale of Sandycombe Lodge in 1826 by Turner, it has had several owners. The house was used as a factory to produce airmen's uniforms during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The vibrations from the heavy machinery caused damage to the staircase and ceilings of the house. The house was bought by Professor Harold Livermore and his wife Ann in 1947, and they created the Sandycombe Lodge Trust (now Turner's House Trust) in 2005. After Livermore's death in 2010, the house was left to the Trust to be preserved as a monument to Turner. Many of the house's original features survived, but it needed major restoration work and redecoration. Turner's House Trust sought to raise funds to restore the house, remove Victorian additions and return it to its appearance in Turner's day. In January 2015 it was announced that the Trust was to receive a grant of £1.4 million from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

to enable this work to take place. The year-long renovation, costing £2.4 million, started in March 2016. The restoration of Turner's House is now complete and the house is open to the public; visitors can experience Turner's House as he lived in it, and learn the fascinating stories behind the conservation of this important historic house.

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References

External links

Turner's House official website
{{coord, 51.45383, -0.31630, type:landmark_region:GB, format=dms, display=title 1813 establishments in England Grade II* listed houses in London Houses completed in 1813 Houses in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames History of Middlesex J. M. W. Turner Twickenham Biographical museums in London

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