Kensington House

Launched at the 2010 Christmas Kensington Dolls House Festival, Kensington House² is an architecturally consistent Regency townhouse with an imposing façade set back from the street behind railings and an area. It is fitted with top quality lighting, fireplaces and iron railings from specialist suppliers.

There are two opening panels on the front and two more on the left hand side that expose the stairs, back stairs to the basement and the top floor back bedroom. The back stairs to the basement run behind the entrance hallway and are connected directly to the dining room via a jib door. Ceilings are high (12½" on the ground floor and 13" on the first floor) and in proportion to the generous room sizes.

The house is decorated throughout. Colours are appropriate to the Regency period chosen from the Farrow & Ball colour card. The two main reception rooms are panelled with wainscoting to dado rail height. Both have ceiling mouldings and ceiling roses. The main reception room has feature arches either side of the fireplace. Skirting is fitted throughout and coving to the rooms of the ground and first floors, with elaboate coving incorporating patterned mouldings in the main reception rooms. The reception rooms have stain-varnished doors in door cases with painted pediments. The other internal wooden panelled doors are all painted with turned brass door knobs. There are grouted flagstones in the basement while the rest of the house has scribed floorboards with lift-up boards that conceal the wiring for lights.

Kensington House Photographs

Exterior

The exterior of Kensington House illustrates many features of town houses of the Regency period. Although probably built of brick, this is disguised with stucco to the top of the ground floor to simulate a more desirable, but expensive, stone construction. Above the stucco (depending on the option you choose), the walls are either plain painted; exposed brick; or, more grand, ashlar masonry.

Outside there is a pavement finished with grouted flagstones. The house has an area or service well between the pavement and the front of the house, separated from the pavement by iron railings. The miniature railings are made by Mike Tripp of the Ironworks. Steps lead down from the pavement into the area. The floor of the area is finished with grouted flagstones. The whole pavement and area lifts off to enable you to open the lower front panel. Many buildings of this period were constructed over a basement that was excavated only for part of its depth, the remaining depth being achieved by piling the spoil from the basement diggings onto the road thereby increasing the road level. Steps built on a bridge across the area was used to make the entrance to the house more imposing. Under the road storage was built, typically for coal. Kensington house has two (fixed) arched doors to storage under the pavement.

Kensington House exterior corner view.
Kensington House exterior view down into area.
Kensington House exterior view in area. Only
tradesmen and servants would normally get this
view.
Kensington House approach to front door.
Kensington House peeping through the window in
the opening side panel into the first floor landing.
Kensington House exterior with the side panels
open.
Kensington House hipped roof detail. Note individully laid
faux slates, terracotta chimney pots and simulated lead glazed
ridge tiles.
Kensington House roof parapet and coving detail.
Kensington House looking along the pavement.
Kensington House exterior view with the pavement
lifted away.
Kensington House peeping through the front door.
Kensington House exterior view from street level.

Interior

Kensington House is a desirable townhouse for the relatively wealthy. The grand entrance hall would be used to receive visitors before taking them up to the wide staircase to the reception rooms on the first floor. By Regency times house designs were accommodating the needs of domestic staff with separate stair cases for servants and dedicated servants' working areas. In Kensington House, the dining room is situated on the ground floor where it can be attended discretely by servants moving from the kitchen in the basement via a back staircase and jib door. The family and their visitors need not be exposed to the scurrying and clatter of the staff bringing food to their table.

Kensington House general view of interior.
Kensington House exterior with both side panels
opened.
Kensington House with top panel opened, showing
first floor landing and cupbord stairs.
View through the bottom open side
panel into the tiled entrance hall.
Kensington House with bottom panel opened
and pavement removed.
Kensington House ground, first and second floor
detail.
Kensington House with top panel opened.
Kensington House first and
second floors exposed.

Basement

Kensington House basement floor plan.

Kensington House has two connecting basement rooms together with a external door dedicated to the use of servants and tradesmen. Staff and tradesmen can enter the house via steps leading down from the pavement to the area without needing to use the main front door.

Kensington House general view of basement.
Kensington House kitchen in basement.
Kensington House basement servants' hall.
Kensington House viewed from the area through the
door into the servants' hall. Normally, only servants
and tradesmen would see this view.
Kensington House washing copper in servants' hall.

Ground Floor

Kensington House ground floor plan.

As you look at these pictures, imagine the atmosphere as you were met by a footman and entered the grand tiled hall with its fire blazing.

A glimpse of Kensington House entrance hall
viewed through the open front door.
A footman gives a sense of scale. The doll by Patricia Hirons is not included.
Close-up view of Kensington House entrance hall
with its welcoming fireplace.
A glimpse of Kensington House entrance hall
viewed through the front window.
Kensington House entrance hall and main stairs.
A careless servant has left open the door to the
back stairs.You can also just see the open jib door
from the dining room.
Kensington House back stairs between basement and first
floors. The back stairs have doors to the entrance
hall and a jib door into the dining room. Servants can go
about their duties without being seen by visitors
coming into the house.
Kensington House dining room. Note fancy ceiling cove and mouldings.
Kensington House dining room. The family and their visitors
enter via a grand 6-panel door set into a fancy door case.
Servants come and go via a jib door discretely set into
the panelling.
Close-up of dining room fireplce with dog grate.

First Floor

Kensington House first floor plan.

As you are led up the wide main staircase you see doors leading off. Entering the main reception room, you become aware of the size and proportions of the space. Looking around at the grand door cases and elaborate ceiling cove and mouldings you realise that you have entered the home of a family of wealth and substance.

The Kensington House Morning Room can be entered directly from the
first floor landing or from the Drawing Room.
Kensington House general view of first floor.
Kensington House first floor landing from side
-opening panel.
Kensington House Drawing Room.
Kensington House Drawing Room showing symmetrically placed
arched alcoves.
View from the Drawing Room to the first floor
landing.
Kensington House view of Drawing Room from the
Morning Room.
Close-up view of the Drawing Room fireplace by Lucy Askew.

Second Floor

Kensington House second floor plan.

As a visitor to the house you are unlikely to see the rooms on this floor. Here are the bedrooms, the main one being very grand and set high above the clatter of iron shod hooves and wheels far below on the street.

Kensington House back bedroom viewed through opened side panel.
Kensington House front bedroom with corner fireplace.
Kensington House main bedroom.
Kensington House main bedroom with fireplace and chimney breast.
Close-up of main bedroom fireplace.
Kensington House view from front bedroom to
second floor landing.
Kensington House looking from the main bedroom
across the head of the stairs into the back
bedroom.

Stairs

Stairs are a speciality of Anglia Holls Houses and Kensington House has some of the most complex stair cases in the range. As you would expect, the main stairs have stringers and separate stain-varnished treads and stair brackets. Even the cupboard stairs to the second floor have winding steps and come complete with a bannister rail. The dolls (not included) by Patricia Hirons give a sense of scale.

Kensington House back stairs to the basement from
the dining room jib door.
Kensington House first floor landing and cupboard
stairs to the second floor.
Another view of Kensington House first floor landing
and cupboard stairs to the second floor.
Kensington House main stairs.
Kensington House main stairs with lower side panel
opened. Note stair brackets.
Kensington House view into entrance hall from the
main stairs half landing.
Kensington House view of main stairs half landing
through the open lower side panel.

Gallery

With thanks to my wife Angela for taking these photographs.

A hall furnished to give a sense of size and proportion - Angela Hartnall. Dolls
(not included) by Patricia Hirons.
View of the first floor showing the well proportioned rooms - Angela Hartnall. Dolls
(not included) by Patricia Hirons.

Lighting

From Autumn 2011 all fully decorated Anglia Dolls Houses include a package of lights as standard with a quality Smallworld digital transformer and Easy Wire fused distribution strip. If you prefer to specify your own choice of lights I can build these in for you. Wiring is concealed behind a false back panel, under lift up floorboards and also down the chimney breasts. The way that the wiring is done makes it easy for you to add further lights at a future date. See the Electric Lighting Datasheet for more details of the standard package of lights included with this house if purchased fully finished.

If you would like more information about this dolls house please call or email me.