London Art museums can be overwhelming for me as I don’t know where to look first and how to navigate the vast space packed with tourists to ensure I experience the art and the curation properly on my own timeline.  My first visit to the V&A was supposed to be the highlight tour and I couldn’t leave once the tour ended and thus spent hours exploring nooks and crannies.  Well, imagine my surprise at the hidden gem of an art collection (museum) in Marylebone – the Wallace Collection.  I walked up to the grand home, Hertford House, on Manchester Square and was gobsmacked by the sheer volume of art that was in the home, a home that from the front seems small but once inside you realize it is a city block in length which would have included outer buildings and a stable.

I left the quiet street and walked up the circular driveway admiring the small garden and view of the square from inside.  The benches along the path were filled with what seemed like local workers enjoying their lunches in the sun. Once I entered the home, I was greeted by staff and given a map for a self-guided visit (there are guided tours throughout the day for a fee). Admission to the main collection and house is free. Special exhibits will have a fee and may need advanced tickets. On the day of my visit, there were no tour buses/groups (The Wallace Collections limits groups to 25 people given the size of the rooms) so that was a nice surprise. Photos are allowed without flash which means I took enough to create my own souvenir guide book.

For a video tour, check out their London wedding video as it guides you through all of the rooms of the museum. It’s pretty cool to see how the collection is curated and a glimpse into what to expect when you visit.

Hidden Art Gem in London at The Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection is probably an art museum you’ve not heard of or if you have, you’ve not yet visited. Big mistake!  For even the casual art enthusiast will be impressed and instantly fall in love with how easy it is to navigate, to linger and to experience.  The collection is beyond impressive with 17^th, 18^th and 19^th century furniture, paintings, sculptures, clocks, jewelry, wine cups, porcelain, arms and armor and so much more.  If you are keen on masterpieces, there is a Rembrandt painting, “Titus, the Artist’s Son” but the rest of the collection are lesser known but equally impressive artists. The museum hosts daily events so check their website for details during your visit.

The Wallace Collection Galleries

Even now, months later I’m still struck by how amazing the collection was and how well curated.  There is a room of armor and a room of jewelry, rooms of paintings and tapestries and small boxes covered in leather to avoid light on the miniature artwork.

What is now an art collection given to the British government, was once just part of the family home’s decoration.  Think about how you have decorated your home – you choose objects, paintings, art that reflects your taste and preference and that’s what struck me about the Wallace Collection.  It was a family collection that continued to grow with each Marquesses of Hertford and then one son, Sir Richard Wallace and his wife, Lady Wallace.  It feels personal. There’s no theme to the collection that I could pinpoint and that made it even more interesting for me.

Wallace Collection Rooms of Color

Upstairs the rooms were easily identified by the wallpaper color – of course, they have formal names but I preferred to reference by color.  The purple room was one I spent a good amount of time in reading about the art from the room books available.

I knew when my tour around the collection was complete when I ended up in the original room of blue wallpaper. In some ways, I was reminded of how The Barnes Collection in Philadelphia is curated with many art pieces on the walls causing the visitor to linger and try to find a common thread/theme in the art.   One wall had ten or more paintings above a chair or table – it was spectacular.  Another wall was full of women.  Another wall had hunting and animal paintings. So there were some themes.

Wallace Restaurant Couryard Brasserie

On the main floor of the building, there are front rooms on either side as you would expect in the grand home and then hallways on either side of the building that had a view of the interior covered courtyard which serves as a sumptuous Parisian brasserie, The Wallace Restaurant, which serves a variety of menus during opening hours with late night service on Friday and Saturday to dine under the stars.

Medieval Rooms and Armor at The Wallace Collection

The back rooms of the home contained medieval works with armor, arms (weapons) and art from around the world.  If the rooms were movie settings, then the men would be drinking and smoking in the downstairs rooms, while the women enjoyed the lightness of the front room and also that of the upstairs gallery suite with window seats.

Final Thoughts – The Wallace Collection in Marylebone, London

I’m not an art historian to deep dive into the collection, I’m just someone who can appreciate the artistry of the clock design, the care taken in carving the furniture, the beauty of an everyday object that holds water or wine.

The Wallace Collection is art that made me smile, made me appreciate the skills and artistry as well as the fact that Lady Wallace wanted folks to enjoy the art.  She didn’t sell it or give it to charity, she bequeathed it to the British Nation to maintain, preserve and showcase.

The Wallace Collection opened as a museum in 1900, the turn of a century.  Now over a hundred and twenty years later you can still discover and enjoy the art collection just a short walk away from the crowds of Oxford Street in Marylebone. Get a peek inside the marvelous history of art from a time we only read about in history books.  We often talk about hidden gems in a city and The Wallace Collection is that gem you need to visit on your next trip to London. Shame it took me over twenty years of London visits to discover it!

 

The Wallace Collection is opened daily from 10 am – 5 pm except during Christmas (24-26 Dec).  You can rent the building for (quite memorable) corporate events, meetings, filming/photoshoots and weddings.  Groups are limited to 25 people as the rooms are small and you don’t want to impede visitors.

The Wallace Collection is fully accessible for limited mobility, deaf/hearing impaired as well as blind/partially sighted visitors.  The website has information for Wallace Collection accessibility and the front desk has aids and assistance available.  It’s quite impressive how much care has gone into making the art accessible for all – young and old.