78 Derngate — Attraction in England

This is an absolutely fantastic and magnificent house in Northampton Town Centre. The house is located in the Cultural Quarter of Northampton and is only house in England that the famous architect Charles Renee Mackintosh had involvement and was his last major work. The house was also owned by WJ Bassett-Lowke who had involvement with Model Railways and was his home for a number of years. The house on the outside is stunning to see and there is a lovely art deco/nouveau feel to it and you can admire the sheer scale of the world done by Mackintosh and his influence which is exquisite, sumptuous and awesome. The house is just as stunning and sensational on the inside and there are number of rooms you walk through such as The bathroom, living room, bathroom, dining room, master bedroom and another bedroom all of which have a stunning ultra modernistic look well ahead of its almost having a feeling of the 60's about it and the patterns of the art coming from the wallpaper and also on the wall is utterly amazing and breathtaking with again a great art deco/nouveau feel about and probably one of the best houses in the UK that displays the art deco/nouveau as it is that good. The stand out rooms in the house have to be The Living Room due to beautiful blend of black and yellow on the walls and the artistry of the yellow triangles with the rest of the colour scheme is just utterly breathtaking and shows that Mackintosh was very forward thinking for his time and was also well ahead of his time for the period he designed and it is that ultra modernistic look that makes it amazing. The yellow and black patterns in the living room are very memorable and give you a lovely lasting memory of the place and also give a fantastic artistic look about it. The Master Bedroom is just as good with the wonderful blend of white and blue patterns running from the wall just behind the two beds up to the ceiling and then onto the ceiling is outstanding and fits in magnificently with the blue beds. Also in the master bedroom there is the amazing jug and bowl designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich on the cabinet which has the same patterns on the wall and both complement each other well adding another decent aspect to this room. As you wander around the rooms of the house you can also some fantastic wooden cabinets which are in amazing condition and have some exquisite detail to them. There is some fantastic displays about the life of WJ Bassett-Lowke and him living at the house but also business work with Model trains and Model boats which he was very renowned for and also there is displays on the impact that WJ Bassett-Lowke had on Northampton and help it grow to the town that it is today, which is very interesting and enthralling to read about. There is also a timeline you can see of the lives of Charles Mackintosh and WJ Bassett-Lowke and compare how they fared and what they achieved. There is also some model trains to see in some of the display cabinets which are awesome to see and in brilliant and on the top floor you can also see a lovely displays of Model boats and ships which are great to see and in amazing condition. You can also enjoy wonderful views of the surrounding area as you wander around the rooms from the fantastically unique artistic windows. Admission to the house is £10 and is pre-booked online and the admission lasts for one year so you can visit as many times as you like. A visit to the house, which is a done by guided tour is strongly recommended as the tours are thoroughly engaging, informative, riveting and interesting where you some amazing facts about the rooms, their designs and the people who influenced them such as WJ Bassett-Lowke and Charles Mackintosh and the tour guides are exceptional and very knowledgeable knowing their subject matter extremely well making the tours all the more engaging & brilliant. There is a cafe at the place selling food and drink at reasonable prices and there is an amazing gift shop with an array of great souvenirs at reasonable prices. Overall this is a phenomenal very special...

78 Derngate is an absolute must-visit for anyone with an appreciation for architecture, design, or simply stunning interiors. This Georgian house, transformed by the visionary Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the early 20th century, is a testament to his innovative spirit.

The moment you step inside, you're transported to another world. Mackintosh's bold use of color, light, and geometric patterns creates a truly mesmerizing atmosphere. The rooms are a feast for the eyes, with every detail carefully considered. From the striking black and white hallway to the dreamy blue bedroom, each space is a masterpiece.

The guided tours are informative and engaging, bringing Mackintosh's genius to life. The opportunity to explore the house at your own pace after the tour is a lovely touch. And if you're lucky enough to visit on a sunny day, the garden is a peaceful oasis.

While the house itself is the star of the show, the cafe offers a delightful respite. The afternoon tea is particularly noteworthy, with a generous selection of savory and sweet treats.

In short, 78 Derngate is a hidden gem that should not be missed. It's a place where art, history, and design come together in...

Made the trip up from London purely to visit this Mackintosh house. Firstly it’s excellent that the building is open to the public and I commend the dedicated volunteers and personnel who made this happen and continue to operate the museum.

I do have some constructive criticism. Whilst it was fascinating to find out about the client, I could have used more on Mackintosh himself. There seems to be a gap in the story of what he was doing during the Chelsea years that would be good to fill in.

Whilst it’s excellent that extensions have been made, I hope there are more fulsome plans for the garden as the additional space feels superfluous at the moment. For instance, odd design choices have been made, such as having the only bench in the extension face away from the house and towards a generic housing estate. The upstairs exhibition space is great to have, but I found the works a bit lacking in relevance.

The information boards could be positioned and curated better. There’s a lot of information available but it’s perhaps not clear to the visitor where to begin and how to flow through the three separate houses that combine to make...