About 18 Stafford Terrace
From 1875, 18 Stafford Terrace was the home of Punch
cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne, his wife Marion, their two
children and their live-in servants. Originally decorated by the
Sambournes in keeping with fashionable Aesthetic principles, the
interiors evolved into wonderfully eclectic artistic statements
within the confines of a typical middle-class home.
While the house gives an unprecedented insight into the
personal lives of the Sambourne family, it also informs the
modern day visitor about late nineteenth century ideas on interior
design. 18 Stafford Terrace is a rare example of what was known as
an 'Aesthetic interior' or 'House Beautiful'. The Aesthetic
Movement of the late nineteenth century advocated the use of
foreign or 'exotic' influences in the decoration of the home. The
Sambourne's took this mantra to heart as can be seen by the various
Japanese, Middle Eastern and African objects throughout their
home.
After the deaths of Linley and Marion Sambourne, the house was
preserved by their descendants. In 1980 it was opened to the public
by the Victorian Society. This organisation had been inaugurated at
18 Stafford Terrace in 1958 by the Sambourne's grand-daughter,
Anne, Countess of Rosse. In 1989, its ownership passed to the Royal
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
