# Debenham House > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Debenham_House > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Debenham_House.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debenham_House > Source revision: 1352524062 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Historic site in London, UK}} {{for|the similarly named house in Michigan|I. N. Debenham House}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Use British English|date=September 2019}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Debenham House | native_nam = | native_language = | image = Debenham House (35482927182).jpg | caption = Debenham House, 2017 | locmapin = Greater London | coordinates = {{coord|51|30|8.94|N|0|12|31.82|W|display=inline,title}} | location = 8 [Addison Road](/source/Addison_Road%2C_London), [Holland Park](/source/Holland_Park), [West London](/source/West_London), England, U.K. | area = | built = 1905–07 | architect = [Halsey Ricardo](/source/Halsey_Ricardo) | architecture = [Arts and Crafts](/source/Arts_and_Crafts_movement) | governing_body = Privately owned | designation1 = Grade I listed building | designation1_offname = Debenham House | designation1_date = {{start year and age|1969|4|15|df=yes|paren=yes}}{{National Heritage List for England |num=1080783 |desc=Debenham House |access-date=9 July 2015}} | designation1_number = 1080783 | designation2 = | designation2_offname = | designation2_date = | designation2_number = }} '''Debenham House''' (or '''Peacock House''') at '''8 [Addison Road](/source/Addison_Road%2C_London)''' is a large detached house in the [Holland Park](/source/Holland_Park) district of [Kensington and Chelsea](/source/Royal_Borough_of_Kensington_and_Chelsea), [W14](/source/W_postcode_area). Built in the [Arts and Crafts style](/source/Arts_and_Crafts_movement) by the architect [Halsey Ricardo](/source/Halsey_Ricardo), it is a [Grade I](/source/Listed_building) listed building. == History == The house was designed in 1905 for department store owner [Ernest Ridley Debenham](/source/Ernest_Ridley_Debenham).{{cite web| url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=49871|title=Survey of London: volume 37: Northern Kensington|publisher=British History Online| accessdate=2012-06-28}} Debenham had previously lived in another house designed by Ricardo, at 57 Melbury Road in Holland Park. The house only became known as Debenham House after it was sold on Sir Ernest's death. From 1955 to 1965, the house was used by the [London College of Dance and Drama](/source/London_College_of_Dance_and_Drama). In the 1990s, it housed the headquarters of [Richmond Fellowship](/source/Richmond_Fellowship) and was the venue for Royal Garden Parties. == Architecture == Debenham House combines an [Italianate](/source/Italianate_architecture) exterior with an [Arts and Crafts](/source/Arts_and_Crafts) interior. Both are richly decorated. The house is clad in [Royal Doulton](/source/Royal_Doulton) [Carrara](/source/Carrara) ware with green and blue [Burmantofts](/source/Burmantofts) bricks. Ricardo favoured [polychromy](/source/Polychrome) for its design effects, but it also served a practical purpose, as the glazing resisted the aging effects of the polluted London air. The critic [Jonathan Meades](/source/Jonathan_Meades) described the house as "structurally stodgy – an alderman dressed as a hippy."{{cite web|url=http://hidden-london.com/nuggets/debenham-house/|title=Debenham House – Hidden London|work=hidden-london.com|accessdate=1 February 2015}} The interior contains tiles designed by [William De Morgan](/source/William_De_Morgan), a mosaic dome painted by [Gaetano Meo](/source/Gaetano_Meo), ceilings painted by [Ernest Gimson](/source/Ernest_Gimson) and [stained glass](/source/stained_glass) by [Edward Schroeder Prior](/source/Edward_Schroeder_Prior).{{cite book|author= Bennett, Phillippa | title=William Morris in the Twenty-First Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IVZhy3L4HY4C&pg=PA50|accessdate=25 January 2013|date=1 September 2010|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=978-3-0343-0106-0|pages=50–}} The decoration throughout is overwhelming. A domed hall has a gallery linking the upstairs rooms. Mosaics show members of the Debenham family, mixed with gods and goddesses from [classical mythology](/source/classical_mythology). There are [marble](/source/marble) and tile fireplaces and [mahogany](/source/mahogany) bookcases with decorated with [Art Nouveau](/source/Art_Nouveau) inserts in wood and [mother of pearl](/source/Nacre). The light switches were made by the [Birmingham Guild of Handicraft](/source/Birmingham_Guild_of_Handicraft). == Filming location == The house has been used as a film and television location, including; ''[The Wings of the Dove (1997 film)](/source/The_Wings_of_the_Dove_(1997_film))'',{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} ''[Secret Ceremony](/source/Secret_Ceremony)'',{{cite book|author= Pykett, Derek |title=British Horror Film Locations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=atktMkuOvPwC&pg=PA105|accessdate=24 January 2013|date=20 July 2008|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-3329-2|pages=105–}} ''[What the Butler Saw](/source/What_the_Butler_Saw_(TV_series))'', ''[Spooks](/source/Spooks_(TV_series))'', two episodes of ''[Agatha Christie's Poirot](/source/Agatha_Christie's_Poirot)'', ''[Lord Edgware Dies](/source/Lord_Edgware_Dies)'' and ''[Cards on the Table](/source/Cards_on_the_Table)'',{{cite web|url=http://www.tvlocations.net/lordedgware.htm|title=Poirot Locations – Lord Edgware Dies|work=tvlocations.net|accessdate=1 February 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://investigatingpoirot.blogspot.com.es/2013/08/episode-by-episode-lord-edgware-dies.html|title=Investigating Agatha Christie's Poirot: Episode-by-episode: Lord Edgware Dies|author=Eirik|work=investigatingpoirot.blogspot.com.es|accessdate=1 February 2015}} ''[Trottie True](/source/Trottie_True)''{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} and the BBC's ''[The Mrs Bradley Mysteries](/source/The_Mrs_Bradley_Mysteries)''.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Bibliography== *{{cite book | last = Stourton | first = James | title = Great Houses of London | location = London | publisher = [Frances Lincoln](/source/Frances_Lincoln) | year = 2012 | isbn = 978-0-7112-3366-9}} ==External links== {{Commons category inline|Debenham House}} Category:1907 establishments in England Category:Art Nouveau architecture in London Category:Art Nouveau houses Category:Arts and Crafts architecture in London + Category:Grade I listed houses in London Category:Halsey Ricardo buildings Category:History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Category:Houses completed in 1907 Category:Houses in Holland Park Category:Mansions --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Debenham House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debenham_House) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debenham_House?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.