Many residents of the street remember Allan Chappelow as a unique and somewhat eccentric individual. Toward the end of his life, his home became a centre of fascination for passers by, the all encompassing scaffolding seemingly holding the whole house together. The front garden developed into a complex layer of dense overgrowth, motorbikes and mystery.
Allan's habit of firing up his motorbike and letting it run until properly warmed up, was a reassuring indication that life at number 9 was following some kind of routine. His approach to maintaining a crumbling home sometimes involved buckets of lime, ropes and precarious balancing acts from the parapet. His eccentricity seemed expected as it was predictable.
Sadly, Allan's life didn't end predictably. His demise in 2006 brought the long held Chappelow tenancy to an abrupt end. It's a tale still shrouded in mystery.
But Allan's story is only the tip of the iceberg and shouldn't be the defining moment of the family's life on Downshire Hill. Three generations of Chappelows lived on the street leaving a lasting legacy of a creative family.
Archibald Chappelow: Artist and Advocate for Architectural Heritage
First to arrive on the street, some time between 1910 and 1920, were George Browne & Kate Chappelow with their children Archibald, Winifred and Eric. George was a builder and decorator owned the firm, Geo. Chappelow and Son. on Charles Street, Berkeley Square.
George and Kate's eldest son, Archibald Cecil Chappelow (1886-1976) followed his father into the family firm whose clients included many of the theatres, galleries, restaurants and clubs of London's West End. Archibald's appreciation for interiors, architecture and decoration coupled with his skill at writing and sketching proved to be an asset for the firm.
However life at the turn of the 20th century proved disruptive. When the shadow of the First World War fell across Europe, Archibald, keen to avoid military service, moved to neutral Denmark. This period of exile proved formative. In Copenhagen, he taught at the university, including courses on antiques restoration, and it was there he met and married Karen Ragnhild Permin of Hillerød in November 1914. The couple had two sons: Paul, who was born with cerebral palsy, and Allan, born in 1919.
The Pen and Ink Drawings
Archibald's artistic talent is revealed through his illustrations; a few of which I have managed to collect from books he published and contributed to. 'The Old Home in England (A.D. 1100 to 1830)' written and illustrated by Archibald was published in 1953. It has has many of Archibald's sketches of architecture, interiors and furniture. Included is a sketch of the front view of number 9 along with an interior view of the front drawing room.
Within six months of the war's end, he returned to London with his young family, moving into his father's home at number 9, which would become the family residence until 2006. It was here, surrounded by the historic architecture of the neighbourhood, that Archibald's passion for documenting England's architectural heritage flourished.
In 1921, Archibald contributed illustrations to what would become his most notable work: William Henry Helm's book Homes of the Past. The Observer's review praised not only the text but noted that it was "much enhanced in attractiveness by the pen-and-ink drawings by Mr. A. C. Chappelow, who has a most affectionate touch for old architecture and furnishing." His work was described as that of "a very capable artist" who captured something essential about England's domestic heritage.
The book was more than an artistic endeavour. In 1919, Helm had written to The Times proposing "the selection and preservation of some typical houses, each of which shall be an original example of a particular period in our history." Archibald's illustrations were integral to this vision, making a case through art for the importance of architectural conservation at a time when much of England's built heritage was under threat.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Archibald's work earned him recognition. In 1937, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His interest in England's domestic architecture never waned. In 1953, he wrote and illustrated what was essentially a companion volume to Helm's work, titled The Old Home in England AD 1100-1830: A Running Commentary on the Life of the Times, the Home and Its Furniture. The book was well-reviewed in Apollo Magazine, cementing his reputation as both illustrator and writer.
Archibald also ventured into art criticism. In 1956, he wrote an evaluation of the controversial Isleworth Mona Lisa for Apollo Magazine, arguing that it deserved recognition as an authentic work by Leonardo da Vinci. He found "the face is superbly painted, and the hands more neatly defined than those in the Louvre painting," demonstrating a keen eye for detail that had made his illustrations so valued.
Throughout this period, the Chappelow family continued to work in their father's firm, maintaining the West End connections that had sustained the family for generations. The house at 9 Downshire Hill became not just a family home but a repository of Archibald's artistic work, including his detailed sketches of the house itself and the neighbourhood that so captivated him.
Allan Chappelow: Literary Scholar and Photographer
Archibald's younger son Allan moved to 9 Downshire Hill at the age of fourteen in 1933, and it would remain his home for the rest of his life, save for his school years at Oundle and his time at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned his M.A. and was twice a Prizeman.
Allan inherited his father's eye for detail, though his medium was the camera rather than pen and ink. In the 1950s he worked as a photographer for the Daily Telegraph, but his true passion lay in literary portraiture. He specialized in photographing leading writers, musicians and theatrical figures of his time.
The Shaw Connection
Allan's most significant scholarly contribution was his work on George Bernard Shaw. In 1950, only weeks before the playwright's death following a fall, Allan visited Shaw at his home in Ayot St. Lawrence and took what proved to be the last action photographs of the great man. This encounter would shape the course of Allan's career.
In his introduction to Shaw the Villager and Human Being: A Biographical Symposium (1962), Allan reflected on the experience: "There were two Bernard Shaws. One was the great 'G.B.S.' figure known to the general public; the other the human being - hidden by this mask or façade - whom I found to be virtually the opposite: sensitive and diffident almost to the point of shyness."
This insight became the foundation for Allan's major works on Shaw. Shaw the Villager brought together reminiscences from those who knew Shaw in his village life, while its companion volume Shaw - "The Chucker Out": A Biographical Exposition and Critique (1969) was the fruit of six years' research at the British Museum. With a foreword by Vera Brittain, the book presented previously unpublished Shaw material and offered, as Brittain noted, significant clarification of Shaw's complex character. It was considered likely to become a standard work.
Allan was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, like his father before him, and pursued post-graduate research at the London School of Economics. He also studied at the Slade School, specialising in sculpture, demonstrating the same breadth of artistic interest that had characterised his father's career.
The Downshire Hill Artistic Community
The Chappelows were part of an artistic community that made Downshire Hill its home in the 20th century. The street had long been a magnet for creative people. The pre- and post-war years saw it host the Downshire Hill group of artists including John Nash, Stanley Spencer, Henry Lamb, and Mark Gertler, who gathered at number 47. John Heartfield, the Dadaist illustrator, lived at the same address between 1938 and 1943.
Margaret Gardiner at number 35 was a patron of Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson. Even Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, lived next door at number 50. The street represented a continuity of artistic endeavour, with the Chappelows' presence spanning several generations of this creative heritage.
A Lasting Legacy
The Chappelow family's tenure at 9 Downshire Hill spanned three generations. Archibald's illustrations documented England's architectural heritage at a crucial moment, while his advocacy for preservation contributed to the growing awareness of the importance of historic buildings. Allan's photographic portraits and his scholarly work on George Bernard Shaw preserved another kind of heritage, capturing literary and theatrical figures for posterity.
Together, father and son exemplified the kind of dedicated, scholarly engagement with the arts and their story reminds us that behind many of the neighbourhood's distinguished addresses lie lives of quiet but significant cultural contribution.
The house at 9 Downshire Hill, with its Grade II listing, stands as a testament not only to architectural heritage but to the Chappelows' long association with this special corner of Hampstead. Archibald's sketches of the house, preserved in his books, offer us a window into how the family saw their home, not merely as a dwelling but as part of England's living architectural history.
The Downshire Hill Residents' Association welcomes contributions to our understanding of the street's history. If you have memories or information about the Chappelow family or other aspects of Downshire Hill's past, please get in touch.