Explore the house at Fenton House and Garden

Explore the collections

Fenton House and Garden is home to an exceptional collection of treasures, from rare early keyboard instruments and intricate 17th-century needlework to playful ceramics, Chinese cloisonné and paintings by renowned artists including Walter Sickert and Dame Laura Knight.

The National Trust opened Fenton House as a museum-gallery in 1952, displaying Lady Binning's collections throughout the house alongside Major George Benton Fletcher's playing collection of early keyboard instruments. In 2006, a third major collection was added when actor Peter Barkworth (1929 to 2006) bequeathed a significant group of 19th and 20th-century paintings to the National Trust.

Keyboard instruments

The National Trust has cared for the Benton Fletcher Collection of early keyboard instruments since 1938. Regular specialist conservation helps keep most of the instruments in playing condition, allowing musicians to experience and learn from the original sounds and techniques of earlier centuries. The oldest instrument in the collection dates from 1540 and is still played today.

On selected open days, volunteer musicians demonstrate the instruments in action, bringing 17th- and 18th-century music to life on the very instruments it was written for.

Paintings 

Uncover an impressive collection of art including works by Walter Sickert, Duncan Grant, John Constable and Albrecht Dürer. Gathered by Fenton's last owner, Lady Binning and Hampstead actor, Peter Barkworth, the Fenton House collection includes works by the English post-modernist painters of the Camden Town Group.

Ceramics  

Fenton's ceramics collection is full of vibrant colour and varied  styles, including Chinese porcelain from the Kangxi period, 18th-century Meissen figures and Staffordshire ware. With a range of intricately made and playful subjects, from ceramic poodles and pugs to scenes of revelry and courting couples, there is something for every age and taste. 

Needlework 

Fenton House is home to a remarkable collection of 17th-century needlework. These intricate examples of stumpwork were painstakingly created by young women from affluent Stuart households.

The works depict biblical and pastoral scenes, populated by doll-like figures dressed in the latest Stuart fashions. They are set within richly detailed landscapes of rolling green hills, flowers, birds, bees and animals, creating imaginative miniature worlds full of colour and craftsmanship.

Gaze across London  

Although the attic-floor balcony is temporarily closed, it remains one of the most distinctive features and its spectacular outlook remains part of Fenton House's story. From this remarkable vantage point, residents in the late 17th century could have watched St Paul’s Cathedral taking shape on the horizon. Today, visitors can still spot its famous dome among the many towers and landmarks of London's skyline.