hertford house

Tucked away behind Oxford Street is a real gem of an art gallery. Hertford House was the London home of the Duke of Manchester before becoming home to the Marquess of Hertford (I don't understand these things either..). The Marquess was a real art collector and made his home the perfect store for his wide and varied collections. On Saturday, we popped over for an explore and were taken away by the beauty of the interiors, not to mention the killer old masters collection. 

We couldn't stop gasping when stepping into each room; the beautiful flocked wall fabrics, dripping chandeliers and French, walnut furniture. It's really incredible seeing interiors like this and so close to the hideous swarm of Oxford Street. 

Interiors aside, the art on display is astonishing; enough Reynolds' and Gainsboroughs to open its own gallery plus Canelettos, Titians and Rubens. Amazing! We were also surprised to find a small opera group rehearsing for a recital that evening, which was really wonderful. There was something very surreal walking amongst the incredible artwork with the velvety sounds of opera echoing throughout the rooms. 

Hertford House also holds an amazing collection of armour, which I was originally not interested in but it was SO COOL! Do you know how heavy chain-mail is?! I can tell you now, it's crazy heavy! This is definitely a place to come if you have small visitors in town, or even just to release the inner child in you. 

After, we popped to The Wigmore, a new luxe pub next door to The Langham Hotel. I'm biased about it (my company designed it), but for good reason. Naturally, the interiors are second to none, but the drinks are also delicious and very reasonable. We stopped off for a gin punch and some Bloody Mary Chips. I recommend both! I've also been told the pie and cheese toastie is a must so we will be back for more. Week nights it's incredibly busy but during the day on the weekend it's perfect and quiet. Grab a velvet armchair and settle in for the afternoon.

Meet you at the bar - or Hertford House!





L.