Enter our competition and you could be in with a chance of winning a year’s membership to one of the borough’s landmark sites and cultural gems.
Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery is currently showing 3 exhibitions, was recently visited by King Charles III and is also a shining example of Regency-era history.
Find out how to visit it as often as you like in the coming year, by checking the competition details below.
A restored jewel in the crown
Following a restoration of Walpole Park, which once served as the manor’s grounds, Pitzhanger underwent a meticulous £12million restoration and conservation project.
It reopened in 2019 as a must-visit destination after travelling back in time by more than 2 centuries. The project slowly returned the manor house to a close match of its most famous incarnation as the ‘country home’ of renowned architect, Sir John Soane. He bought it in 1800 before remodelling it.
Soane was, and remains, a hugely influential figure in architectural history and the restoration of the Grade I listed manor house meant that, as closely as possible, it recreated his original vision for it.
A partnership of Ealing Council and Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery Trust (set up in 2012 to manage the buildings) led the project, which was funded primarily through grants from Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and others.
Following the original vision
When it reopened, Clare Gough, director of Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, told Around Ealing: “Soane designed many significant buildings in the Regency era – including the Bank of England, and remains hugely influential to this day.
“He designed Pitzhanger to be his country residence when Ealing was still outside the borders of London, and it had a special place in his heart as his dream country villa.
“We felt it was so important to conserve the building as closely as possible to Soane’s original vision.
“We’ve reinstated 3 key elements of Soane’s original design that had since disappeared, including the conservatory, which was originally demolished in 1901, and a central roof light.
“A beautiful colonnade connecting the Manor and Gallery buildings has also been recreated and Soane’s original intricate paint schemes from as far back as the early 1800s have also been meticulously reinstated throughout.”
An artistic hub
More than just a residence, Pitzhanger served as a canvas for Soane’s innovative designs and diverse art collection. And its façade mirrored the grandeur of Rome’s Arch of Constantine.
It was also a hub of intellectual and cultural exchange, becoming a gathering place for the era’s artistic luminaries, including painter JMW Turner and novelist and dramatist ‘Monk’ Lewis. Today, this tradition continues, with the manor hosting various cultural activities and art exhibitions.
The gallery building, constructed in 1939, was upgraded during the restoration project and reopened with a new ‘Grade A’, internationally recognised space that has enabled Pitzhanger to host significant exhibitions and retain its position as west London’s premier gallery for contemporary art.
It is currently showcasing 3 exhibitions:
• Alice Irwin: Chinwag, an exploration of social interaction through art
• Sinta Tantra: The Lightclub of Batavia, a blend of architecture and geometric paintings
• Tim Bret-Day: Echoes & Idioms, a photographic journey by a celebrated Acton-based artist.
Visiting
If you live in the borough, you can visit Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery for free on Sundays between 10.30am-12.30pm, and on the first Thursday of the month between 5-8pm.
For more information about opening times and admissions, visit the Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery website.
The competition
Take part in our competition, and you could be in with a chance of winning a year’s membership and visit as often as you like.
The staff at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery are offering Around Ealing readers the chance for 1 person to win a 1-year Single+ membership (allowing free entry for you and a guest and 1 members’ ticket per event for the named member). and a Pitzhanger Manor guidebook; and a postcard set and tote bag will be awarded to a runner-up.
All you have to do is enter our competition and correctly answer the following question:
In which year did Sir John Soane buy Pitzhanger Manor?
You must submit your answers by email to aroundealing@ealing.gov.uk with the subject line Pitzhanger by the deadline of midday on Friday 26 April 2024.
Once the deadline has passed, a winner and a runner-up will be drawn out at random from among the correct entries. Only the winner and runner-up will be contacted and informed. Only 1 competition entry is permitted per person. No financial remuneration will be offered as an alternative. If the winner and runner-up do not respond within a time deemed reasonable by the competition organisers, a replacement will be drawn out at random from the correct entries and they will claim the relevant prize instead.
