History of the Friends Of Kenwood

In the 1970s the Greater London Council took over responsibility for the Iveagh Bequest and there was some concern that their stewardship might not adequately care for its priceless collection of art.

In 1976, local influential residents established a steering committee to discuss the forming of the Friends of the Iveagh Bequest (more commonly known as the Friends of Kenwood). The Greater London Council’s Arts Board was approached and the Lecture Room in the House was offered for the activities of the new association but it was stressed that no financial support could be given. Benjamin Guinness, 3rd Earl of Iveagh expressed delight at being asked to be Patron. On 27th February 1977 there was an inaugural meeting to launch the Friends followed by a party in the Old Kitchen with soft drinks, nibbles and a glass of wine at 25 pence a glass!

In April 1977, the Friends of Kenwood circulated its first newsletter and membership had soon reached almost 400, including the Duke of Wellington and the actor Warren Mitchell. Friends were invited to a private view of Gainsborough and his Musical Friends, the GLC’s Silver Jubilee exhibition. In May there was a concert in the Orangery followed by a reading of some of Gainsborough’s letters.

Following the abolition of the Greater London Council in 1986, management of the Kenwood Estate passed to English Heritage, and the Friends has continued in its role of support and fundraising since then, providing also a regular Sunday lecture program for members.

Recent milestones in which the Friends has been involved include the Caring for Kenwood project (2013), which saw major roof repairs and interior and exterior redecoration, and the 90th anniversary celebration of the Iveagh Bequest in 2018.

In 2022, the Friends played a major role in funding the transformative project to relight the pictures in the East and West wing rooms. Leading art lighting specialists TM Lighting devised an innovative approach to picture lighting at Kenwood using the latest LED technology which ensures a visually even distribution of light across the whole surface of a painting, allowing previously murky details to emerge.

We organise regular social events for members. Recent events have included our Russian Evening (2017) to mark the anniversary of Grand Duke Michael’s seven-year tenure at Kenwood House from 1910 –1917, which was attended by Prince Michael of Kent. In 2018 we held a dinner event in the Orangery to celebrate the above-mentioned 90th anniversary of the Iveagh Bequest, which was attended by Lord Iveagh and members of the Guinness family and which featured a lecture on the history of the Bequest by former Curator Julius Bryant.

The Friends has also supported English Heritage in its recent private partnership initiative with the Gagosian Gallery.