Description
Debenham House was built for Sir Ernest Debenham, owner of the department store that bears his name. It was designed by Halsey Ricardo, and has fine mosaic and tile decoration in the interiors. The garden is contemporary with the house and consists of a formal area near the house. A garden pavilion that adjoins the house has tiles by William de Morgan. Beyond this are steps leading up to the lawn.
Practical Information
| Site location | 8, Addison Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W14 8DJ |
| What3Words | ///diner.ritual.silver |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Kensington & Chelsea |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | London Overground/Tube (District): Kensington (Olympia). |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The house is considered to be of national interest 'for its extraordinary design and use of materials in an early C20th attempt to provide a maintenance-free building to withstand London's polluted atmosphere.' (RBKC Holland Park Conservation Area Proposals Statement, p.16). For some years Debenham House was used by the Richmond Fellowship, a charity founded in 1959 that offered a community approach to caring for people with mental health problems. Following its use as an institution, Debenham House was purchased in 2001 and turned back into a private residence. The new owners carried out restoration works, which was undertaken by architect Brian Hendry. In 2009 planning permission was granted for building an underground swimming pool, with associated works involving some re-landscaping in the garden.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ244796 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1905-07 |
| Designers | Halsey Ricardo |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Debenham House |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Kensington & Chelsea |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Holland Park |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Woodsford Square is a communal garden built as part of the Wates development by Fry Drew and Partners, which consists of 4-storey terraces with communal green behind. This area was once part of the Holland House estate, which in the late C18th consisted of c.200 acres, but the original estate had once been nearly 500 acres, extending almost to Fulham Road. The development for housing began from the 1820s onwards under the third Lord Holland, and continued through the C19th. The 1950s and 60s saw building on a scale reminiscent of the 1870s, with Wates building many houses north of Oakwood Court on Abbotsbury Road.
This private walled garden was originally created by the poet Jean Ingelow and later developed by Beth McWilliam as a setting for the sculpture of F.E.McWilliam who worked here until his death in 1992. The studio was originally a garden music room probably dating from the same time as the main house (1852). The garden was simply laid out with a large bordered lawn and a central stone path connecting the house and artist's studio. A proposal made to English Heritage to preserve the house, garden and studio as a place where McWilliam's sculpture could be studied in the setting of its making did not come to fruition. The contents of his studio were later gifted to Banbridge District Council in Northern Ireland, the town of his birth, where a purpose-built gallery was opened in his memory in 2008. No 8a was sold to a private buyer and a garden house has been built on the studio site.
This area was once part of the Holland House estate, which in the late C18th consisted of c.200 acres, but the original estate had once been nearly 500 acres, extending almost to Fulham Road. The development of the Addison Road area of the estate commenced from 1822 under the 3rd Lord Holland, whose estate was by then running at a loss. Oakwood Court was the first development of large flats built here at the turn of the century on the site of a lake, previously the fishponds, called The Moats. The small railed and hedged garden was provided for the use of the tenants.