Anna Pavlova's Beloved Home The Ivy House

Photo credit- Pavlova Portrait of A Dancer Presented by Margot Fonteyn

 Ivy House 

Anna Pavlova found her spiritual home in London, England. She was living in a small house in London, but she was unhappy with its small size, so she decided to look for something bigger. As if by destiny there was a large home by her current home with a sign by a real estate agent for Rent or  Sale. The house was behind an Ivy-clad wall which I believe is why the house was known as The Ivy House. Immediately seeing this sign Anna Pavlova and her husband got in touch with the agent for the house. 

Photo credit- Pavlova Portrait of A Dancer Presented by Margot Fonteyn

 Anna Pavlova on the lawn in front of the Ivy House

Once Pavlova saw the house it was love at first sight and her imagination took over on what she was going to make the house into. She wanted to create a large practice studio and open a dancing school at the house where she would teach students herself. 

Once she was brought to the garden Anna Pavlova who was a fan of birds  was filled with joy when she found the large garden. The garden had been neglected for many years because the house had not been occupied. However, the garden was still thriving because it was filled with all sorts of birds who were using it as their home. The place that sold her on the property was the pond which Anna Pavlova imagined swans gliding through the waters.

 Photo credit- Anna Pavlova Her Life And Art By Keith Money
Anna Pavlova feeding her swans at the Ivy House's Gardens 

"There I will have swans! I take the house."- Pavlova speaking to the real estate agents on renting the property for an extended time.

The house was completely perfect for Pavlova; it had everything that she imagined lots of light and airiness in the home. It was large and spacious with a huge central hall that would be used as her rehearsal hall that her company could use for practice. Her company then would no longer need to look for studio space to practice and instead could come directly to her. Some rooms could be used for studios for her dancing school she wanted to create. There was also a room that led into her bedroom. This room she called her work-room or painting-room. It was the room where she created different art either sketching, sculpting, or modeling. She also had a lovely outdoor space a large garden where she could relax and enjoy while tending to and watching her swans enjoying their home.

Photo credit- Anna Pavlova Her Life And Art By Keith Money
Anna Pavlova in her Work-Room or Painting- Room in the Ivy House

Now the Ivy house has gone from a famous ballerina's home to a Jewish Cultural Center to most recently a Private Catholic School for girls called St. Anthony's. This school  does teach ballet classes and there is even a quote from Anna Pavlova written on the wall in the School's  ballet studio, so although Anna Pavlova's home was not made into a museum it still is a place of learning and even ballet is once again filling the home that was so dear to Pavlova's heart. 

Photo Credit: Mary Evans Picture Gallery Anna Pavlova with her Siamese cat in the Ivy House.