Kenwood

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Kenwood, a superb house beautifully situated on Hampstead Heath, was substantially rebuilt in the 1770s by Robert Adam for Lord Mansfield, the lawyer. Mansfield's town house was gutted in the Gordon riots of 1780 but distance saved Kenwood. It was saved a second time in 1922 by the Kenwood Preservation Council when threatened with urban development. It contains a remarkable bequest of paintings given by Edward Guinness, Lord Iveagh, which includes works by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Romney, Joseph Wright, and a Rembrandt self-portrait. The grounds, later improved by Repton, contain a large lake with a sham bridge. The chief feature of the house is a splendid library, with aspidal ends and Corinthian columns.

J. A. Cannon

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Kenwood

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