Renowned English artist, John Charles Dollman, bought land in Bedford Park in 1880 and commissioned Maurice B Adams to build him two houses at 12 and 14 Newton Grove — with a studio at number 14. He lived and worked in Bedford Park for 51 years from 1883, producing most of his large oils and dramatic water colours there. He was profiled in The Bedford Park Society Journal, Autumn 2020.
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See also The Chiswick Calendar: Updating the history of the Bedford Park community for the digital age.
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Born in 1851, the son of an established bookseller and stationer, he called his home at 14 Newton Grove “Hove House” in memory of his place of birth. The house is now known as Kara Lodge and its large and light first floor studio is still stunning.
JC Dollman came to London to study at South Kensington and the Royal Academy Schools. In his day, he was a highly celebrated and fashionable artist, exhibiting almost continuously at the Royal Academy from the 1870s until 1912, and elected to the Royal Watercolour Society in 1913.
He had 67 major paintings exhibited at the Royal Academy over a period of 62 years and the Royal Society for Painters in Water Colours exhibited 193 of his works. His paintings are displayed in many galleries in England and internationally.
