You can get a first-hand look at the spectacular interior of Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, and see some internationally-renowned art, for free. It is all thanks to an offer aimed at giving local people a chance to experience the restored historical gem close up.
The pictures in our online gallery will give you a taste of what you can see inside the manor house, now it has been restored it to its former splendour. As, indeed, will the video you can watch above.
But, thanks to the special offer, if you are a borough resident you are able to visit Pitzhanger for free all day every Tuesday and until 12noon on Sundays. At other times, local people can enter at a reduced price; while members, under-18s and those on income support can always enter free of charge. For full details, visit the Pitzhanger website.
Your entrance ticket will include access to the manor house itself, with its hand-painted interiors, painstakingly restored to their former glory; and also to the gallery, hosting its inaugural exhibition by world-famous sculptor Anish Kapoor.
Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery was officially reopened on Saturday (16 March) by TV presenter Angellica Bell, helped by local children who designed winning posters celebrating the famous building’s re-opening.
It means it is open to the public again for the first time in more than three years. During the intervening period a restoration and conservation project has peeled back layers of history, extensions and overpainting, and has returned Pitzhanger to its peak original design for the first time in more than 175 years.
The first exhibition at the newly refurbished gallery sees Turner Prize-winning artist Kapoor presenting a series of sculptures, some previously unseen in Britain, challenging our traditional notion of form and space by disorientating the viewer and transforming their surroundings.
Grade 1 listed Pitzhanger Manor was the home of visionary British architect Sir John Soane, where he experimented with colour and form in the early 1800s to impress potential clients. The ambitious restoration has returned the building to this vision – by reinstating original features like the beautiful glass structures and colourful interiors that caused a such a stir across Georgian London for their innovation.
A beautiful colonnade connecting the manor and gallery buildings has also been recreated and revealed the original north elevation of the Manor, not seen as Soane intended since 1844.
‘Outstanding piece of cultural history’
Council leader Julian Bell said: “Pitzhanger Manor is the crown jewel of Ealing’s heritage and I am delighted to see it now opening its doors to the public as the culmination of a careful and meticulous restoration project. It’s an outstanding piece of cultural history on our doorstep.”
The reopening of Pitzhanger marks the completion of a £12million conservation and restoration project led by Ealing Council, working with Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Trust. Funding came from the council and generous grants obtained from Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and others.
Clare Gough, director of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Trust, said: ’It has been exciting to see visitors’ delight at rediscovering Pitzhanger as it was designed by Soane, as well as enjoying the juxtaposition of Anish Kapoor’s sculpture in the gallery. We look forward to establishing Pitzhanger as an inspiring destination for heritage, culture and art.”
More information
- View our photo gallery
- Visit the Pitzhanger website
- Watch our video and read our article from when the restoration project was in its early stages.
