Leighton House was the home of Frederic, Lord Leighton 1830-1896, painter and President of the Royal Academy, built between 1864-1879. It was a palace of art designed for entertaining and to provide a magnificent working space in the studio, with great north windows and a gilded apse. The Arab Hall is the centrepiece of the house, containing Leighton’s collection of Islamic tiles, a gilt mosaic frieze and a fountain. Victorian paintings by Leighton, Millais and Burne-Jones are on display.