Kenwood House Reviews Summary

Art Collection

Pros:

• "The historical aspects of the paintings are also explained really nicely."
• "Stunning paintings- Gainsborough, Hals, Rembrandt, Reynolds and Turner amongst others."
• "The house has amazing art collection by the likes of Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Reynolds etc. amid stunning 18th century interiors including some by Robert Adam."
• "It has some of the best Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Reynolds paintings as well as a host of fantastic rooms to wander around perusing the wonderful furniture and interiors."
• "The beautiful restored interiors and stunning art collection, including a Rembrandt's and a rare Vermeer, all free to enjoy."
• "Kenwood house art collection contains the best Rembrant self-portrait and others interesting draws."
• "They have an original Vermeer which was for us the star of the show, as well as a Rembrandt and various other renowned old masters."

Cons:

• "The paintings are nice but not enough info about them and the Lord who owned the manor."
• "Most notable are the self portrait of Rembrandt and the Guitar player by Vermeer."
• "Belle's portrait was a treat to see even though it was a copy and hung in a children's dress up and play room."
• "The art collection is vast with some of the great masters in the dining room."
• "Very impressive collection of Old Masters (incl Rembrandt, Van Dyck, and Vermeer); also featuring works by 18th century stars Gainsborough, Turner, Reynolds and Romney."

Staff & Volunteers

Pros:

• "Staff are friendly and knowledgeable."
• "Every room had volunteers inside the room who would talk passionately about the paintings and provide interesting backstory."
• "Very friendly helpful and informative staff."
• "The staff are very knowledgeable and passionate about the house and its contents."
• "The guides on hand to talk about the artwork were amazing."
• "The english heritage staff and volunteers are some of the best we've encountered, the knowledge of the house and the art collection is impressive."
• "An enthusiastic and friendly team of volunteers assist visitors in enjoying and interpreting the artworks."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately, my visit was ruined by one of the house’s volunteer."
• "Some volunteer staff was very knowledgeable in regards of the history of the estate, some were not friendly at all."
• "When we inadvertently strayed into an area that should have been cordoned off... we were chased away with a flea in our ear by a somewhat overzealous steward."
• "But the people. Oh the people are really horrible."
• "The staff who serve food in cafe/ restaurant Look very untidy."
• "All the staff have bad customer service and gave us really distasteful looks."
• "The person (unsure of his name as no name tag) was exceptionally rude and had zero customer service skills."

Cafe & Restaurant

Pros:

• "Nice restaurant and coffee shop for meals, snacks, drinks and ice creams."
• "Cafe did a really tasty Sunday roast which was delicious & reasonable in price."
• "Cafe was very good ( sandwiches, cakes & light bites), reasonably priced."
• "The cafe has a nice selection of cakes, sandwiches and cooked meals - welcome on a cold morning."
• "The cafe is lovely and the scones fresh and delicious!"
• "The cafe on site was very nice and offered a delicious looking Sunday lunch."
• "The cafe has excellent selection of very tasty hot foods, cakes and drinks with tables inside and outside."

Cons:

• "The House and woodlands are lovely however the car parking and the cafe are horrendously overpriced!"
• "One downer: cafe used to be great but by time I got there no savoury food options left."
• "Kenwood Christmas trail is very poor and verging on daylight robbery."
• "The cafe is appalling. I have been visiting for 10 years and it never gets better."
• "If you going for Christmas at Kenwood I don't recommend it. The lights were ok but very expensive for what we saw."
• "The cafe however, I feel was over priced for what you get."
• "The food court was very expensive I was looking forward to having a Christmas meal the prices didn’t justify the portion sizes."

Grounds & Gardens

Pros:

• "The House and woodlands are lovely however the car parking and the cafe are horrendously overpriced!"
• "Huge open plain to sun bathe during the summer, play frisbee, football (cricket and baseball if it isn't busy) or run around and admire the sham bridge."
• "Lovely grounds to walk around and have a picnic."
• "Lovely and large former home of the 1st Earl of Mansfield set on the edge of Hampstead Heath."
• "Great Gardens with amazing views. They are currently holding the Christmas at Kenwood event for the first time and what a lovely evening well spent."
• "Beautiful gardens, with flowers, trees a bit of nature in the urban sprawl that is London town."
• "Superb house, beautiful parkland."

Cons:

• "All the gates are locked well before the advertised closing time of 4pm."
• "Leaving the venue to try get out was, in no other way to say it, dangerous. No coordination or interoperability."
• "Most pathways are blocked through the heath with no signs."
• "Numerous dog walkers and their dogs are trapped inside the fenced estate area."
• "However, youll find some gates are closed as early as 3pm and youre left having to go back on your route to try and locate another gopen gate in the falling light."
• "The paths in the grounds were a bit muddy, so wear appropriate footwear."
• "Not accessible for disabled people due to uneven terrain & slippy hill areas to walk."

Events & Activities

Pros:

• "Christmas lights 2022 were great! Very atmospheric and immersive."
• "They start doing Christmas at Kenwood. We went tonight and it was fantastic."
• "Our first ever visit was for the Christmas light show 2022. Light show was great and food was tasty."
• "We went to the Christmas at Kenwood event and it was beautiful."
• "Christmas at Kenwood is absolutely magical experience. The lights in the garden are incredible, music adds spice to the atmosphere."
• "Spectacular light trail."
• "Christmas at Kenwood. Had a lovely walk through the illuminated grounds accompanied by piped music on a chilly December evening."

Cons:

• "Kenwood at Christmas Light show: BEST AVOID."
• "Went for the Christmas lights. I mean, they were lovely...but the queue to get in (with tickets and a time slot) was ridiculous."
• "There was no wow factor to the whole experience if there was a Christmas market more food stores, little trinkets it could become a family tradition basically up your game Kenwood."
• "The 2021 Christmas light show was an underwhelming, cheesy experience."
• "Visited the Christmas light show. Was OK but more expensive and much less good than Kew last year, and my toddler fell in the mud and came up covered in dog mess."
• "I booked tickets for 5 people (£100) to experience the light trail here for Christmas. Awful, the whole thing was over in 20 minutes."
• "If you going for Christmas at Kenwood I don't recommend it. The lights were ok but very expensive for what we saw."