Alma Tadema's House

[Anonymous]

There is a very interesting house in St John's Wood, close to the Hospital of St Mary and St Elizabeth, probaly late 19thC, which I believe was once the home of the painter Alma Tadema. I pass it once a week when it is my turn to take my sons to school.

The house is being done up currently. It looks like the entire interior has been demolished. All the windows are clearly new and seem to be of the nasty double glazed with fake sash bars kind.

I cannot believe this house is not listed, and if it is, what on earth is going on?

The house is vast and the area very expensive, so shortage of money to do a proper conservation job cannot be an issue.

 

[Anonymous]

Look it up on IoE or give me the address...

 

[Anonymous]

However - it's probably not listed but in a Conservation Area. Therefore not much can be done really about what's going on.

See below...

Not too late to submit a memoranda.


Problems with our heritage...

 

[Anonymous]

It's listed:

TQ 2683 SE CITY OF WESTMINSTER GROVE END ROAD, NW8
12/15 (south side)
14.1.70 No 44 (house and
former studio)
GV II
Detached house with attached former studio. Late C19, various builds, altered.
Red brick, Portland stone and buff terracotta, slate pitched roof to parapet.
Two main storeys. 3 windows wide. Entrance to north-east facade, attached
pergola with stone columns and sumptuously moulded doorway. 2 storey former studio
with square headed windows with pilaster decoration; moulded terracotta frieze.
Elaborate wrought iron finials to roof. Large rear additions. Listed as
residence of Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema.

perhaps a phone call to the Victorian Society might be in order?

 

[Anonymous]

I have just found this on the web (from a biog of A T):

"Two years earlier he had purchased J J J Tissot's house at 17 Grove End Road, St John's Wood, (later renumbered to 34 in 1901) but until now had been unable to tackle the enormous task of remodelling the large structure.

He wrote to Ebers in August and September about the mammoth task of preparing drawings for the rebuilding of the house and the problems of satisfying the Board of Works and its 'Building Act'. According to Alma-Tadema:

Those gentlemen seem to be happy only when they can annoy...My pictures hardly advance with all that and besides nothing sells either, which makes my future rather dark.

In a letter to Baroness von Zedlitz, Alma-Tadema explained the reason for spending so much time and effort on his surroundings:

I strove to make [17 Grove End Road] so picturesque and decorated in such diverse styles and feeling that, even if at any time I should not be inclined to work, my eyes must of necessity, in passing from one room to another, fall upon some object exciting enough, in colour or form, as to make me wish to paint. This is the real secret of my having gone so far in acquiring these surroundings, which in their turn have laid so strong a hold on me, and have made me so much their slave, that when I am elsewhere somehow my pleasure in my work diminishes and I feel that I am never really quite satisfied with the results."

Heartbreaking.

 

[Anonymous]

I was going to suggest that... however, it may all have been done with consent! But the Vic Soc caseworker should know about it and have been given an opportunity to comment.

I've just been talking to a friend about the problems in London (as indeed elsewhere - Cumbria is currently short of FOUR CO's - a nice place to work I would have thought!) with regard to the shortage of CO's.

It's something SAVE has raised yet again with the DCMS Commons Select Committee...

But hey conservation isn't sexy! The Olympics now...

My friendly London CO (I********) is away until next week so I can't ask him what is going on...

But hey- Westminster - Span 4 at Paddington! Say no more!


http://www.victorian-society.org.uk

 

[Anonymous]

The Westminster CO I know recently moved on to Islington but he worked for David Clegg who is head of design and conservation for Westminster South region. If it's not his area, he'll know who you should contact. Tel 020 7641 6000 (swb).