Plan your visit

Locations

Leighton House: 12 Holland Park Rd, London, W14 8LZ

Sambourne House: 18 Stafford Terrace, London, W8 7BH

Please note that both houses are located within 8-minute walking distance apart.

Opening times

Leighton House

Leighton House opens Wednesdays to Mondays 10:00am – 5:30pm (last entry 4:30pm). Leighton House is closed on Tuesdays.

The garden at Leighton House will be closed sharply at 5pm. Please note that dogs are not allowed in the garden or the historic house (only Guide, Hearing and Assistance dogs are welcomed inside the museums).

*Please note the garden is currently closed  all hours due to maintenance works.

Sambourne House

Sambourne House opens Wednesdays to Sundays 10:00am – 5:30pm (last entry 4:30pm). Sambourne House is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Last entry to both Leighton House and Sambourne House is 4:30pm. Visits after 4:30pm are discouraged and museums staff reserves the right to refuse admission. If you have a joint ticket to both museums, please keep this in mind to make sure you have enough time for your visit.

Free public tours

Join our free, volunteer-led tours of the historic interiors at Leighton House and Sambourne House and learn about the history of our collections and the life and work of Frederic Leighton and Linley Sambourne.

Leighton House. Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, 2:30-3:15pm (45 min). Meet your tour guide in Reception.

Sambourne House, Wednesday 11.30am - 12:15 pm (45 min).  Meet your tour guide in Reception.

• Tours are available for paid admission ticket holders only.
• The tours are free to join and pre-booking is not required- simply register at Welcome Desk upon arrival.
• The tours operate on a first-come, first-served basis due to limited capacity.
• The tours are led by volunteers and might be subject to last minute changes or cancellations.

Admission charges

Tickets can be purchased on the door, on the day of your visit or pre-booked via our online ticketing system. Please note that advanced tickets for the same day will not be available after 10am and can only be purchased on the door, subject to availability.

Admission tickets at Leighton House include entry to temporary exhibitions at the Verey Gallery situated upstairs.

Buy tickets

Leighton House

Adults: £14

Concessions 65+: £13

*Concessions: £9 

Children 6-18yrs: £5

**Kensington and Chelsea Council employees: £7

Sambourne House

Adults: £12

Concessions 65+: £11

*Concessions: £9 

Children 6-18yrs: £5

**Kensington and Chelsea Council employees: £7

Joint tickets Leighton House and Sambourne House

Adult joint ticket: £22

Concessions 65+ joint ticket: £20

*Concessions joint ticket: £14

Children (6-18yrs) joint ticket: £8

*Concessions: Visitors aged 18-25 years old,  full-time students (all ages), visitors with disabilities, job seekers. Valid proof required on arrival.

**Ticket offer for Kensington and Chelsea employees to be redeemed at the door only- it does not apply for online bookings. Valid ID required on arrival.

Free entry

Children aged 6years old and under,  accompanying carers, Blue Badge Guides, The Friends, accredited press* , ICOM and Museums Association. Valid proof required on arrival.

At Leighton House, there is free admission  to the shop, the De Morgan Café,  the garden and The Tavolozza Drawings Gallery.

* Please arrange your free press pass in advance by contacting Marketing Manager, Ana Garcia, on [email protected]

National Art Pass (Art Fund)

Free entry at Leighton House and  50% off at Sambourne House. Proof of National Art Pass required on arrival.

Pay What You Want

Visit Leighton House on the first Monday of each month from 10am to 1pm and only pay what you want – that means you can pay above the standard ticket price, the same or nothing at all! Tickets are available at the door only (advance online booking on PWYW days is not available). Please note the offer is not applicable for group bookings and it excludes Bank Holidays.

How to get here

Underground

High Street Kensington (District and Circle Line):

Approximately  800 metres, 10 minute walk to Leighton House.

Approximately  320 metres, 5 minute walk to Sambourne House

Holland Park (Central Line):

Approximately 1.2 km, 15 minute walk through Holland Park to either Leighton House or Sambourne House.

Kensington Olympia (London Overground):

Approximately 650 metres, 8 minute walk to Leighton House.

Approximately 1.2km, 15 minute walk to Sambourne House.

We recommend checking the Transport for London website prior to your journey to make sure there are no disruptions to your travel plans.

Buses

9, 23, 27, 28, 49, 328 stop on Design Museum / Kensington High Street/ Earls Court Road. 

Cycling

There are cycle racks for a limited number of bicycles outside the Leighton House visitor entrance. There are no dedicated cycle racks at Sambourne House. There are additional cycle racks along Kensington High St within easy reach of either museum. There are also numerous Santander Cycle docking stations in the immediate area.

Parking

Both Leighton House and Sambourne House do not have any onsite parking and we recommend travelling by public transport where possible. There are no drop-off parking spaces at Leighton House and Sambourne House.

Limited metered parking is available in nearby streets from Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6.30pm, Saturday 8.30am to 1.30pm. There is free parking on Sunday. There is additional parking in the Holland Park Car Park off Abbotsbury Road (pay and display), which is 10 minutes’ walk from either museum. 

For more parking information please visit Kensington and Chelsea Guide to Parking  

Admission Information

View / Download Leighton House Map Floorplan
 

Entrance

Entry to Leighton House is via the ground floor reception and is now step-free.

Entry to Sambourne House is via the reception room on the lower ground floor which is reached by 7 steps and is not wheelchair accessible.

Bag size policy

All suitcases and any bag larger than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm are not permitted at either of our museums. We recommend that large backpacks are not taken into the historical areas of either Leighton House or Sambourne House.

Photography

Photography is allowed in both houses. Photographs must be for personal use only, using hand-held cameras and phones. Flash photography is not permitted. Additional equipment such as tripods, monopods, gimbals and lighting is not permitted in the rooms. We encourage everyone to share images of your visit on social media, please do tag us when possible. For commercial photo shoots, please contact our Venue Hire team.  

Pets

Only Guide, Hearing and Assistance dogs are welcomed inside the museums.

Pets are not allowed inside Leighton House and Sambourne House, including outdoor spaces and the De Morgan Café at Leighton House.

Facilities

De Morgan Café, Shop and Outdoor spaces

Leighton House

There is a shop in the reception area, selling a curated selection of products inspired by our collections. You can also browse our online shop here: Leighton House Museum Shop (rbkc.gov.uk)

The De Morgan Café is located on the ground floor, with direct access to the garden for light refreshments. 

Weather permitting, the garden will be open for visitors to enjoy.

Entry to the shop, the De Morgan Café and garden is free.

Sambourne House

There is no café on site at Sambourne House. There is a small shop in the the reception area.

Free Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout both Leighton House and Sambourne House. 

Smartify: Learn more about our collections with Smartify, a free-to-download museum’s app. 

Cloakroom / Lockers

Leighton House

There is no dedicated cloakroom at Leighton House.  Suitcases and large bags are not permitted at either of our museums. This also helps to preserve the delicate fabric of the historic interiors.

Sambourne House

There are a limited number of secure lockable racks for you to store some personal items during your visit however there is very limited space and no dedicated cloakroom on site. Suitcases and large bags are not permitted

Seating

Benches, seating and portable folding stools are available at Leighton House. There is very limited public seating at Sambourne House however there are a small number of portable folding stools. Ask a member of our team and we’ll be happy to help.

Accessible toilets and baby changing

Leighton House

Gender-neutral and accessible toilets including baby change facilities can be found on the lower ground floor.

Sambourne House

Two gender-neutral toilets are found on the lower basement level without step-free access. Unfortunately, due to the historic nature of this museum, there are currently no accessible toilets or baby change facilities.

Buggy Access and Parking

Leighton House

Buggies and push chairs can be used on all floors of the new wing and in the Learning Centre on the lower ground floor. Unfortunately, buggies and pushchairs can’t be taken into the historic house.

Sambourne House

Due to this historic nature of the museum, there is no access for buggies and pushchairs. A limited number of buggies can be parked in the lower basement level during your visit but please note that there is no step free access to the museum so any buggy or pushchair must be carried down a short, steep flight of steps to reach the basement reception.

Lifts and step-free access

There is a passenger lift at Leighton House which provides access to all floors of the museum, with platform lifts located on the ground floor and basement to provide additional step free access. Each of these lifts will accommodate standard wheelchairs and mobility aids.

There are no lifts located at Sambourne House and unfortunately the house not wheelchair accessible.

Accessibility

Visit our Accessibility page