The Leighton House

Hey everyone!

So I was invited to the premiere of Little Women, which was a snooze. I’m sorry to all the mad literary fans out there but the timeline was sort of like how I type, so for me to be objectively viewing a mass of completely confusing tangeants putme to sleep. But before we got to the movie screening, we had a full-on day out experience to all the destinations, including a delightful case of sexual assault in a burger joint which ended up with the Baron pushing some lunatic over. Anyway, more adventures in the life of the Baroness, we started at the wonderful and legendary Leighton House.

So I think I should probably explain a little bit about my sense of humor, I’m always trying to make people think and if I can catch you up, or even myself up, I find it funny. So sorry to the people who don’t get that type of humor but that’s just how I roll. Now I’m a transgender person who’s been presenting as a sort of agendered angelic entity for the entire experience of life on this earth. I don’t even know how people box me from the outside but my passport is me as a female. It’s been that way for about seven years. Prior to that I had shorter hair but was in full feminine dress in every ID photo I’ve ever had. I’ve used female bathrooms since school, noones ever said boo to the goose and when I try and look masculine I get called she. Not my choice, don’t really care, I’m happy if you’re happy.

Now if I were to marry someone with a title, I do not don’t get one.

It’s not rocket science.

So when I met Mark, I didn’t know his family had any connection or lineage to anything with a title, and I really couldn’t give a shit either way. But the idea that he’s from a family that is as prolific in characters as Frederic Leighton, who was such a cultural figure, technically a Baronet, director of the Royal Academy, Baron on his deathbed, questionable sexuality, friend of Queen Victoria, creator of the most absurdly grande building in London? You best fucking believe I’m going to call me, myself and I the Baroness. Because it’s funny to me because I wouldn’t be able to be anyway, and that is where the irony comes into it, because I have built that moment of rebellion against what I couldn’t be into an empowering thing. Team Baron is the name of our business, and I’m really astounded to learn even more about the history of my partner and his family.

So Leighton House is a feat that one can only describe as opulent. It has an incredible construction feel to it, like you know in Harry Potter, there’s Ron Weasleys house and they added annex and apartment onto an unstable building to expand when the family did? It kind of grew as the energy inside it was too big for the original fiit? If that was done with imported Arabic tiles of gold, that would be what it reminds me of. Mixed with a church.

It’s just opulence and regality in a way that I can’t really put into words. There’s something in the layout of the building and the windows that overbare fireplaces in unconventional ways, it feels deliberately spiritual and like crossed laylines. I can only imagine the amazing parties and fun that went on there.

Every part of the walls reminded me of jewels and a lot of the main artworks are in exhibits all over the world. Frederic is a fascinating person to me and it’s fun to find out that my man’s grandad was the spitting image of him, as his great nephew + if we have kids they’ll have some historical lineage. I think it’s a very intriguing story and I’m excited to find out what the Kensington Trust plan to do next.

Check out Leighton House when you’re next in London, they have a few events and tours on, the tours are really cool because they talk through the backstory of the people in the paintings as well as the OG Baron, so let me know what you think of the amazing place.

And it was clocky to check out the inlaws. Teehee.