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An ostrich skeleton joins a collection of marble busts
in the first floor drawing room of Malplaquet House, London.
Photo by Derek Henderson. |
A recent visit by
Decorative Arts Trust speaker
Todd Longstaffe-Gowan conjured up images of his remarkable London residence, Malplaquet House. Shared with his partner Time Knox, former head curator of Britain's
National Trust, former director of
Sir John Soane's Museum (possibly this writer's favorite site in all of London), and now the new director of the exceedingly prestigous
Fitzwilliam Museum, the couple bought the house from the Spitalfields Trust in 1998.
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Malplaquet House as it appeared in May, 1998.
Photo by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan. |
Their friend, architectural historian
Dan Cruickshank knew they were in need of larger quarters for their growing collections and suggested that they take a look. The house had not been used as a residence for about 100 years, resulting in a level of preservation by neglect despite commerical additions. Purchased for GBP 250,000 (about $410,000) and renovated over a period of four years at a cost exceeding the purchase price, the Grade II-listed townhouse has become a celebrated landmark of the Stepney Green conservation area.
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Malplaquet House in May, 2010.
Photo by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan. |
Malplaquet House was built on speculation by Thomas Andrews and completed in 1742. The name comes from the 1709 battle of Malplaquet, but it is not sure if the association comes from the occupation of the widow of a merchant who sold war salavage or from a subsequent tenant, Edward Lee, a retired military surgeon.
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The front garden of Malplaquet House.
Photo by Andrew Lawson. |
Todd, who is a royal gardens advisor in addition to having designed landscapes for private clients such as
Charles Saatchi and
Lord Jacob Rothschild, created a lush forecourt to act as a buffer from the busy street and a small but lushly planted rear garden, reduced to ten feet by the previous owner.
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The new allegorical chimneypiece designed and
executed by Christopher Hobbs. |
When the opportunity allowed the creation of a new feature, a fantastic allegorical chimneypiece was designed and executed by their friend
Christopher Hobbs. (Other examples of Hobbs' work can be seen in previous posts about The Menagerie
here and
here). The chimneypiece is flanked by figures symbolic of where the owners grew up: Tim in Africa and Todd in the West Indies and South America. Plaques bearing the owners' profile are featured as are their miniature dachshunds, Tiger and Sponge. Twelve feet tall and entirely made of plaster except for one element, there is a human skull found by Hobbs among the ruins of a demolished YMCA. "We like to think it's the remains of an unpopular aerobics instructress" Todd told Christopher Mason in a 2007 interview for
Departures.
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All spaces are utilized to display the collections.
Photo by Derek Henderson. |
Modern conveniences were inserted with the least intervention possible. Otherwise the existing 18th century interior detailing was preserved.
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The kitchen at Malplaquet House.
Photo by Klaus Wehner. |
The scholarly collections are displayed throughout the house.
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Another view of the drawing room.
Photo by Derry Moore. |
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A mountain goat 'rests' in the drawing room.
Photo by Derek Henderson. |
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Egyptian artifacts form one collection.
Photo from the Facebook fan page for Malplaquet House. |
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Religous art, portraits of nuns in particular,
form another collection at Malplaquet House.
Photo from the Facebook fan page. |
There are six bedrooms and two double reception rooms in the house which totals 4,234 square feet.
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A view into the southeast bedroom.
Photo by Derek Henderson. |
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A view into the northwest bedroom.
Photo by Klaus Wehner. |
An article in The Telegraph, August, 2010, stated that the owners were wanting a house with a larger garden and that Malplaquet House was listed with Jackson-Stops & Staff for sale for GBP 2.25 million. The position of director of The Fitzwilliam Museum comes with a house in Cambridge, however, a villa with a large garden, only an hour away from Malplaquet House. So, for now at least, Misters Knox and Longstaffe-Gowan have two residences. And the opportunities for the collections to grow continue.
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The entrance to Malplaquet House.
Photo from the Facebook fan page. |
