Victorian artists' studios

My landlord wanted to do major renovation so sadly we had to move. I had spent a lot of time beautifying our old apartment, so I was sad to see it demolished, but I'll be happy to start projects in the new place- watch this space.

I thought I would pay tribute to my old suburb with a few pics of one of the most interesting buildings there: the Talgarth Road/St Paul's Studios. These were the original plans:

Source

And here they are today:

St Paul's Studios

St Paul's Studios on Talgarth Road are a row of eight purpose-built artist's houses designed by Frederick Wheeler in 1891. These late Victorian beauties were "specially designed to suit the requirements of bachelor artists and with accommodation for a housekeeper on the lower floor". They are north-facing so the studios are bathed in diffuse light, the huge barrel-vaulted windows mean the light does not change direction with the time of day, and the slit windows are designed for hauling up extra-large canvases. Aren't they the stuff of dreams?

They go on the market from time to time and are still mainly occupied by rich artists/architects. One sneaky way to look inside the houses you love is to look on estate agent websites:

The studios attracted a number of  interesting artists through the ages, like Victorian illustrator Edward Tennyson Reed. He worked for the weekly satire magazine Punch, which is famous for helping coin the term "cartoon".

 

Images from BibliOdyssey

Superstar Prima Ballerina Margot Fonteyn lived in one of the studios, which sold for £1.1 million in 2003.

Margot Fonteyn. Sources: left and right.

As if the studios' looks weren't desirable enough, imagine living in a place with so much history.

Margot Feynman in Swan Lake. Source

Goodbye Kensington, you will always have a special place in my heart.

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