Little Holland House

Frank Dickinson purchased the plot of land for his house in what was then largely open land, formerly lavender fields. Due to his limited finances Dickinson designed and built the house himself between 1902-04, inspired by Arts and Crafts style. He wrote in his unpublished autobiography that he wanted 'a house with beautiful things inside, a house solid looking and not showy'. The interior was created entirely by Dickinson with the assistance of his future wife Florence, inspired by the ideals of John Ruskin and William Morris. Dickinson was involved in many local societies and, after he had stopped work at the Doulton factory, raised money from sale of his paintings by holding art exhibitions here.

After his death in 1961, Florence remained in the house until 1972 when she moved to a nursing home nearby, and the house was put up for sale. LB Sutton purchased and restored the house, opening it to the public in 1974. It still contains Dickinson's paintings, hand-made furniture, furnishings, metalwork and carving, in a unique fusion of Art Nouveau and the English Arts and Crafts style. The garden similarly was created according to the precepts of William Morris: 'Have nothing that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful'. Here Dickinson planted both fruit or nut trees and plants that were either edible, had medicinal uses or were good for birds, beetles, butterflies and bees.

The house has a resident Warden and is open to the public on a regular basis. Sutton Museum and Heritage Service is currently hoping to restore the garden. In 2012 Little Holland House was given a Bronze Award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme for its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by increasing insulation, renewing water tanks and replacing tungsten lighting.