The short film Then and Now by photographer Ellie Laycock provides a powerful visual record of how Dorich House has changed over the decades. It skilfully blends historic images of the building in the 1930’s and later years with images from today, highlighting how Dorich House has transformed from a studio home to a museum. […]
The sensitive restoration of Dorich House commenced in 1994, following the appointment of the architects David Brown and Partners. When completed two years later, an article in the Surrey County Magazine in October 1996 concluded “The restoration aimed to recreate the atmosphere of the calm and focused lives of Dora and Richard’s heyday in the […]
The job of restoring Dorich House was entrusted to the architectural practice David Brown and Partners in mid-1994. David Brown was a member of the Institute of Architectural Conservation and had a strong interest in historic restoration. Pam McCleneghen, former Head of Property Services at Kingston University, recalls that the firm’s experience in renovating listed […]
Built in 1936 and acknowledged for its architectural significance through Grade II listing in 1983, Dorich House was in a state of dilapidation when Dora Gordine died in December 1991 at the age of 96. Following the premature death of her husband the Hon. Richard Hare in 1966, Gordine lived alone at Dorich House for […]
Designed by Gordine in 1935 as a home and workplace for herself and her husband, the Hon. Richard Hare, Dorich House was unique, not fitting neatly into any architectural style. In designing the house, Gordine drew on references from her previous homes and the countries in which she had lived – Latvia, Estonia, France, and […]
A porcelain figure of a woman carrying baskets, stolen from Dorich House in a burglary in 1988, was later recovered and is now in the Dorich House Museum collection. Here volunteer Carley Bucknell explores the characteristics of the figurine and its place in Russian design history. Porcelain figurines had never particularly attracted my interest, but […]
A Ming dynasty iron head of the Buddhist bodhisattva Guanyin was part of a collection of artefacts from Asia owned by Dora Gordine that were sold at auction in 1994. Here volunteer Nadia Stern takes this sculpture as a starting point for a wider interrogation of Gordine’s position in relation to understandings of and debates […]
A Chinese gold necklace and a Vacheron Constantin wristwatch were just two of the items of jewellery from Dora Gordine’s collection that were sold at auction in 1995. Here volunteer Louise Dear takes a look at the evolving fashions and personal style of Gordine with a particular focus on the artist’s jewellery. Last spring I […]
A beautiful cloisonné enamelled cigarette case, featuring a double-headed eagle, was one of the lots for sale at the auction of Richard Hare and Dora Gordine’s silver collection in Geneva in November 1994. For volunteer Rebecca Rushton, this object has allowed her to unlock a forgotten part of her own family’s history and to explore […]
1988 saw a major burglary of Russian art at Dorich House. But what was actually stolen and was anything recovered? Here volunteer Carley Bucknell uses all available evidence to explore this pivotal moment in the history of Dorich House and the legacy of Dora Gordine and Richard Hare. ‘A frugal sleeper, she was sitting in […]
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