Shirley Nicholson at Sambourne House, 2021. Photo: Jaron James.
The Victorian Society was saddened to learn of the death of Shirley Nicholson, a longstanding volunteer, distinguished researcher and leading authority on Sambourne House and the Sambourne family. Shirley died on Friday 25th September, aged 97, having devoted much of her life to the study and appreciation of Victorian art, architecture and domestic life.
Shirley’s association with the Victorian Society began in 1976. Having studied architecture for five years at the Architectural Association and subsequently worked in architectural practice, she developed a growing interest in local history while bringing up her children. This led her to join the Society, then based at its early headquarters in Acton, where she soon became an invaluable volunteer. Among her many contributions was the creation of a comprehensive, colour-coded card index recording the Society’s conservation casework from 1978 onwards, a remarkable undertaking which became a much-valued resource.
Shirley Nicholson aged 23
Shirley is perhaps best remembered for her exceptional knowledge of Sambourne House at 18 Stafford Terrace, Kensington, where the Victorian Society was officially founded in 1958. The former home of the Punch illustrator Linley Sambourne and his family, the house was entrusted to the Society by the Sambourne family, with plans to open it to the public as a museum in 1980. Shirley joined the committee established to oversee the house and became closely involved in its care, interpretation and presentation to visitors.
Interior of Sambourne House. Photo: The Victorian Society.
She went on to serve as an expert guide at Sambourne House for many years, sharing her encyclopaedic knowledge of the building, its contents and its former inhabitants. Her association with the house continued after responsibility for it passed to the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea in 2000, and endured for the rest of her life. Visitors regularly remarked upon the depth of her knowledge and her ability to bring the house and its history vividly to life.
Exterior of Sambourne House in Kensington. Photo: The Victorian Society.
Shirley’s research into the Sambourne family was extensive. She transcribed the diaries of Linley and Marion Sambourne, and published several books drawing on her intimate knowledge of the family’s lives, including A Victorian Household (1988), based on Marion Sambourne’s diaries, and Roy Sambourne: An Edwardian Bachelor, 1878–1946 (1999). Her interests extended beyond Stafford Terrace to the family’s Sussex connections, reflected in her book Nymans: The Story of a Sussex Garden (1992).
Her contribution to the documentation and understanding of the Sambourne collections was equally substantial. She led a project to catalogue some 30,000 images assembled by Linley Sambourne for use in his illustrations for Punch, and worked extensively on the archives of Leighton House. At Sambourne House she also edited some 7,500 catalogue entries, painstakingly enriching them with information and references drawn from her remarkable knowledge of the house and family.
An Edwardian Bachelor – Roy Sambourne by Shirley Nicholson.
Through her work, Shirley came to know many of the leading figures associated with the Victorian Society and Sambourne House, including Jane Fawcett, Hermione Hobhouse, Christopher Wood and Ian Grant. She also knew Anne, Countess of Rosse, one of the Society’s founders, who retained a close personal attachment to Stafford Terrace and continued to visit the house after its transfer to the Society. Shirley’s friendships extended to Victoria Messell and members of the wider Sambourne family, who held her in great affection and esteem.
Interior Sambourne House. Photo: The Victorian Society
Shirley’s contribution to the Victorian Society, to Sambourne House and to the scholarship surrounding the Sambourne family was exceptional. Across five decades, her dedication, curiosity and painstaking research helped preserve and illuminate a remarkable part of our Victorian inheritance. The Society remembers her with gratitude and affection, and extends its deepest sympathies to her family and friends.
Shirley at the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Mayor’s Award ceremony in 2022
