Born 250 years ago, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851) is one of the country’s most loved romantic artists. He was known for the imaginative exuberance of his landscapes and seascapes which can be considered forerunners of abstract art. His masterpieces are on show principally in The Tate Britain with some of his famous paintings also in The National Gallery including ‘The Fighting Temeraire’, which won a survey by Radio 4’s Today programme to find Britain’s most popular painting.
Turner partially lived in Sandycombe Lodge, Twickenham, from 1813 to 1826. He used the place as a get-away from the pace of the London art scene. Turner’s friends and fellow artists came to visit him there, some joining him for fishing trips or to drink and have fun with the “Pic-Nic Academical Club”.
Drawings still exist of Turner’s design for this house, in parts showing the influence of his friend, the famous British architect Sir John Soane. The property has been painstakingly restored to recreate its appearance when Turner lived there. It is now a museum managed by the Turner’s House Trust, a registered charity.
Turner's House Museum App
2025 saw the launch of Turner House’s location aware app which allows visitors to undertake their own self-guided tour, at their own pace. The app automatically presents relevant information to users as they enter each room, in response to Bluetooth Beacons positioned around the building.
Content includes audio commentaries and provides interesting insights into Turner and Sandycombe Lodge. Visitors have the option of drilling down for more details on specific items including pictures, ornaments or “time capsules” like the child’s drawing found in the walls during the restoration of the house.
The app was made jointly by the Operations Team at Turner’s House and members of Llama Digital. It is built using Llama Digital’s Situate Platform which allows venues to create and manage their own visitor guide app.
Screens from the Turner’s House Museum app
Download the Situate App
Access the Turner’s House guide through the Situate app. Download Situate by searching for Situate in the app stores, or click on one of the buttons above. Then find Turner’s House in the list of guides.
The app is in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Client Feedback
We are very happy to have met Llama Digital and to have worked with them on creating the app for Turner’s House. Our ongoing challenge was how to share information about Turner’s House without overwhelming the space with panels and labels. With help from the Llamas we created a tailored app that gives us the flexibility to update content ourselves in the future.
Since its launch, we’ve easily added new content – both about the house and our temporary exhibitions. Having this new way to share the stories of Turner’s House has significantly enhanced the visitor experience. Visitors appreciate how easy the app is to use when here or to enjoy being able to explore the house from the comfort of their own homes.