The collection of the Late Kenneth Partridge,

Bellmans is proud to present works from the collection of the Late Kenneth Partridge, the interior designer behind the homes and parties of British celebs in the swinging 60s and 70s, notably three of the Beatles and their manager Brian Epstein.

His garish, vivacious aesthetic was a direct expression of his own charming and sometimes outrageous personality, which established him as the sure designer for those who wanted to materialize their eccentric architectural/interior design fantasies. Partridge was born to a modest home in Brockley in South London in 1926 , the son of an electrician manager. His teacher spotted his artistic talent at a young age and encouraged him to attend Bromley School of Art, which introduced him to the world of art and design. After graduating, he completed a stint with the advertising agency J Walter Thompson, but he was called to be a Bevin Boy in the coal mines after the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1944, he was posted to the RAF for two years.

Following his return from the war in 1952, Partridge was hired by Simpsons department store in Piccadilly under the mentorship of Natasha Kroll, a designer sharing the same penchant for exuberant displays influenced by modernism. Partridge once recalled his shock as she was commissioned to pick up books from an antiquarian dealer, but stripped them up to use the pages as window display material. Following this, Partridge worked for Elizabeth Arden dressing shop fronts on Bond Street, and for Jaeger on Regent Street which earned him the best window design in 1963.

During this time, Partridge was embroiled with a range of creatives in the fashion industry who shared his same ambitious visions, such as the Queen’s dress maker Hardy Amies. He designed her a fashion show on ice, titivating the Queensway London ice rink into a lake framed by silver birch trees. Guests were invited to enter on sleds, whilst vodka was served on the sidelines. Examples of his original designs will be sold at Bellmans in due course.

Dazzled by Partridge’s party designs, in August 1964 the Beatles manager Brian Epstein hired Partridge to revive his flat for a party celebrating the Beatles’ inaugural trip to America. Partridge’s doused the space in luxury, adorning the roof with a striped marquee lined with swanky red carpets.

Impressed by these lavish surroundings, John Lennon hired Partridge on the spot to uphaul his Tudor style Kenwood mansion in Weybridge into a party friendly pad. The nine month long ‘carte-blanche’ transformation involving swathes of bold, eclectic wallpapers, a globe shaped drinks bar and an outdoor swimming pool spared no expense, costing twice the price of the house itself. Partridge’s flamboyant style anticipated the eclectic, proto-psychedelic of that would dominate the interiors of the late 60s and early 70s.

Partridge continued throughout his career to produce unconventional and extravagant parties. In 1991, Partridge created a “Dante’s Inferno” spectacle for the socialite Neil “Bunny” Roger, where Roger appeared through flames to greet his hundreds of guests. Partridge remained by his side, clad in a red outfit and supplied with a devilish trident.

Partridge and his partner Derek Granger shared a love for art and entertainment, often hosting flamboyant parties at their London and Brighton homes. Derek has a very successful career himself as a film and television producer, and screenwriter, most famous for Brideshead Revisited and had also worked as Lawrence Olivier’s literary consultant at the National Theatre. He was once the head of plays for Granada Television and the second producer of Coronation Street and worked on the inaugural ‘Seven Up!’.