JMW Turner (1775-1851) is considered today to be England's greatest landscape painter. Often called "the painter of light," he is well-known for his large oil paintings on canvas depicting the sea as a malevolent and unforgiving force. If you have not seen it, I recommend the 2014 movie "Mr. Turner" starring Timothy Spall to learn about the artist. Turner was 32 years old when he acquired a large plot of land between Twickenham and Richmond Bridge in what is today West London. In 1813, on this plot of land, he built a country retreat which also served as a home for his father in his retirement. Turner sold the house in 1826. Today we visited the home which has been restored. The world's largest collection of Turner's paintings are at the Tate Britain Museum in London and I'll be posting photographs of his work later on this blog because I find his work amazing. Turner's particular style still feels fresh today, with images that are both beautiful and horrifying at the same time.
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| House Entrance |
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| Turner's home on Sandycoombe Road is known today as Sandycombe Lodge |
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| The garden is full of Jupiter's Beard which is a native of the Mediterranean region but today found throughout the world including San Francisco |
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| The staircase leading to the upstairs bedrooms |
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| A window screen shows what the view would have looked like when the house was in the remote countryside |
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| Turner's bedroom |
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| A corner in Turner's Bedroom |
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| Paintings by Turner exhibited in the bedroom of "Old Dad" |
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| The elegant staircase |
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| The dining room with the then-popular Willow-pattern dishware |
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| Fireplace in the dining room |
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| Hallway, Main Floor |
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| Staircase top-lit by painted and etched glass |
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| The Little Parlour on the first floor |
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