Sambourne House

Sambourne House, at 18 Stafford Terrace in Kensington, is a public museum dedicated to the great cartoonist and eccentric, Edward Linley Sambourne. Sambourne was born at his family’s home in Pentonville, London in 1844. He was the son of a furrier in the City of London, and the great-grandfather of Anthony Armstrong-Jones (the 1st Earl of Snowdon), who was also the husband of Princess Margaret. During his school years, Sambourne’s talent at drawing was soon spotted, and he was actively encouraged to pursue a career in art. Following an introduction to the editor of political satire ’Punch Magazine’, he soon started to climb his way up the career ladder, to eventually become the magazine’s principal cartoonist. In addition to his political cartoons and caricatures, Sambourne developed his career as an illustrator for many of London’s top publishing houses. His work was featured on the front covers of well known literary works of the time, including ’The Water Babies’ by Charles Kingsley (1885) and ’Poems’ by Edgar Allan Poe (1881). Sambourne also developed a great interest in photography, using his photographs to more accurately portray his comical creations. Sambourne’s unique work received high critical regard, and was recognised by the Royal Academy, with many of his drawings regularly exhibited at art shows and exhibitions. Sambourne House is primarily decorated in the Aesthetic style, with decadent Victorian fittings, extravagant fixtures and elaborate furnishings. These include William Morris wallpapers, strained glass windows, French clocks and imported blue-and-white Chinese porcelain. With the assistance of the Victorian Society and Sambourne’s own family, the house remains largely unchanged from how it was when Edward Sambourne actually lived there. The unique character and appearance of Sambourne House has made it popular with film and television production companies. It appeared in ’A Room with a View’, ’Brideshead Revisited’ and several episodes of ’Jeeves and Wooster’, where it was the home of Bertie’s fearsome Aunt Agatha.