The Dickson House Cultural Centre
The Dickson House Cultural Centre
It belongs to the British colonial administrator, Harold Dickson. The Dicksons moved into the house that has been built for Kuwaiti merchant , Al Asfour, in 1929, and the building served as the British political agency until 1935.
After retiring, Colonel Dickson and his wife Lady Violet went back to live in the house. The colonel passed away in 1959 and his wife, known to Kuwaitis as Umm Saud, remained living there until the 1990 invasion of Kuwait when she was evacuated to Britain, where she died shortly afterwards.
The house was expanded several times over the years, but stands as an excellent example of early Kuwaiti architectural styles. The ground floor has 20 rooms including a men reception room and 4 servers' rooms. It is dedicated to mainly historical photography and a few artifacts from the early 20th century like currency notes . Moving to upstairs, the visitor sees Dickson’s' living quarters which reflects how this elderly English couple lived among Kuwaitis. This floor has 10 rooms that highlight the deep friendship and strong political relations between Kuwait and Britain which have existed for years and which are still being strengthened and reinforced through political, military, commercial, educational and cultural exchanges.
Dickson House is now the property of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, which has transformed it into a cultural center.