2026 marks a significant milestone in the history of Leighton House, as we celebrate 100 years since it first opened as a public museum, under the governance of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Leighton House: A Journey Through 100 Years will chart the museum’s transformation over the course of the last century, using never-before-seen archival material, original photographs and contributions from the public. Safeguarded first by Lord Leighton’s neighbour and biographer, Emilie Barrington, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea acquired the house in 1926 and opened it as a public museum. It served a variety of additional purposes throughout the 20th century - from a children’s library to a theatre museum - before careful restoration of its famed interiors began in the 1980s.