The Wabe is an architecturally eclectic detached house on Redington Road, Hampstead, London, built in 1902–1903 for the academic and mathematician William Garnett. It was subsequently the home of the Canadian explorer Mina Hubbard and her husband, and later of the actor
Tom Conti
Tommaso Antonio Conti (born 22 November 1941) is a Scottish actor, theatre director, and novelist. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1979 for his performance in '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' and was nominated for the Academy Aw ...
and his wife.
History
The house was designed and built in 1902–1903 for the academic and mathematician William Garnett, in a mixture of styles that include Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and
Scottish Baronial
Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...
. It was inspired by Garnett's love of
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...
's ''
Jabberwocky
"Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel ''Through the Looking-Glass'', the sequel to '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865). The ...
'' poem, "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves/Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:/All mimsy were the borogoves,/And the mome raths outgrabe."
In 1913, Garnett sold the house to the Yorkshire industrialist, Harold Ellis, and his Canadian explorer wife Mina Benson Hubbard. Hubbard was an advocate of
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
and their guests at the house included the leading suffrage campaigner Emmeline Pankhurst,
Isadora Duncan
Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance, who performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the US. Born and raised in ...
who gave a dance performance there to raise funds for the cause,
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
,
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
Harrison Marks
George Harrison Marks (6 August 1926 – 27 June 1997) was an English glamour photographer and director of nudist, and later, pornographic films.
Personal life
Born in Tottenham, Middlesex in 1926, Marks was 17 when he married his first wife, ...
and his partner the nude model Pamela Green lived in one of the flats. The house was restored to a single dwelling in 1985 after it was purchased by the actor Tom Conti and his wife
Kara Wilson
Kara Wilson (born 18 June 1944) is a Scottish actress best known for her roles as Patience Heatherstone in the 1964 adaptation of ''The Children of the New Forest'' and as Miss Caroline Gordon in the seventh series of children's soap opera ''G ...
. In May 2015, The Wabe has been listed for sale, following a protracted dispute with Conti's neighbour, the former footballer
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best player ...
. In 2015, Conti commented that "this used to be a wonderful place to live, but in the past ten years there's been endless, endless building." Henry had obtained planning permission to demolish his house and build a new one, including a aquarium spanning four floors. But he also remarked "“It becomes silly as I sit here looking at my vast heating bills. So we are downsizing", and denied Henry was a reason he would sell. In late 2018 the house was sold to filmmaker
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...