Dorich House Museum

Examples of Dora Gordine’s work. sarickwood (Atlas Obscura User)

The Dorich House stands tall and unapologetically unique in the suburbia of southwest London, a monument to 1930s architecture, interior design, and art.

The name of the Grade II listed building comes from its creators: Dora Gordine, a Russian sculptor, and her English husband Richard Hare, a scholar of Russian Art and literature.

Gordine designed the house, which Hare financed as a working studio to showcase her sculptures. The building contains a plaster studio, double-height space, a studio facing north over Richmond Park, and an exhibition space with many examples of Gordine’s work.

The second floor was the couple’s living space, a chic 1930’s flat above a museum, complete with a moon door between dining and sitting rooms. The top of the house is home to a vertigo-inducing terrace with superb views over Richmond Park and surrounding areas.

Gordine lived in the house until 1991, surviving her husband and outliving much of her fame. The house is now a museum owned by Kingston University, open to those who want to see a 1930s living space or fantastic artwork.

Know Before You Go

The 85 bus to Kingston stops near the house, which is also accessible from the Robin Hood gate of Richmond Park. Check opening hours on the Dorich House website.