The original Little Holland House was the dower house of Holland House. It was left to Lady Caroline Fox by her brother, the 3rd Lord Holland. She called it ‘Paradisino’: an apt description of this charming house and beautiful garden.
At this time it was home to Thobey Prinsep and his family. While in Italy they met Watts and invited him to stay for a few days. He was to stay for the next 30 years. In 1864 aged 47, Watts married the 17 year old actress Ellen Terry . It was a brief and disastrous union. Ellen Terry described it as living in a ‘hornet's nest’.
Lady Holland's financial problems were by now acute. Her heir, the Earl of Ilchester, was forced to sell plots of land from the estate, including Little Holland House. It was demolished in 1875 and Melbury Road built on the site.
Copyright: the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Libraries (RBKC Libraries)
Location of original: B08 Print drawers alpha
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