Kensington Palace, (London, England); 1605, Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment - Faheema Ismail



                Originally known as Nottingham House, Kensington Palace is known to have housed English royalty for over four centuries. Back in 1689, this now glorious palace stood to be a mere two stories tall and was quite modest in comparison to the structure as it stands today. It started as a small mansion chosen by new monarchs, William III and Mary II, to be their new country retreat, but over the years the estate was transformed into a home worth housing Britain’s royal families. In 1837, Kensington hall was replaced by Buckingham Palace and has since become a home for minor royals. Some of the most recent occupants are the Princess of Wales, Diana, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their kids, and Prince Harry.
                In 1689, the King and Queen commissioned plans from Sir Christopher Wren, to scale this little home into a palace. Queen Mary II was very involved in the production of the site and would make regular site visits to check up on the progress and encourage the laborers into working faster.   Once complete, the king and queen moved in in 1689. Very satisfied with their new home the couple held many balls highlighting the palace’s ornate rooms, elegant staircases and divine halls. However, their happiness didn’t last for long, in 1694 Mary passed away due to smallpox. Now depressed from his loss, William stopped hosting these parties and held more somber gatherings such as concerts. Despite being too sad to hold happy parties, the king completed the building with a gallery range on the south side, thus enlarging Wren’s original plan. Sadly he too died another 8 years later after an injury while horse riding. Thus began the rule of Queen Anne.
                The Queen didn’t stay at the estate very often because she preferred the Hampton Court Palace but she did have a large hand at the design of the palace gardens. Here she created a new kind of greenhouse, with a terrace and trees planted in ceramic pots. On top of this, she commissioned Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor to design an orangery that surpassed the previously mentioned greenhouse. Young Architect John Vanbrugh added ornery detail such as carvings and pillars which helped establish an open and inviting space. These additions were complete in 1705 and these spaces were used to host parties in the summer time.
In 1714 King George I ascended to the throne and found Kensington hall to be “very agreeable” And with this he hired an upcoming artist, designer and architect by the name of William Kent to fill the palace with art and fine furniture, including life sized paintings all along the interiors, and in order to help the space achieve a more refined appearance that can be seen today.
                Since then there was one more ruling family that stayed within the palace in 1727. King George II and Queen Caroline I were known to be the hosts for a very lively court that celebrated the beautiful spaces. The Queen also held many gatherings where many intellectuals would come together to discuss the arts and sciences. She also had a hand in further shaping the palace gardens. After her death in 1737, the gatherings stopped once more and once King George II passed in 1760, no reigning monarch slept in the palace until Queen Victoria in 1837. Currently the palace is still in use by royalty, used as a vacation home.
               



 
https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens/things-to-see-and-do/kensington-palace
https://www.royal.uk/royal-residences-kensington-palace
https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/
"Kensington Palace Gate, London, England, 17Th-18Th Century." Bridgeman Images: Deagostini Library, 2014. EBSCOhost, arktos.nyit.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edscra&AN=edscra.15690012&site=eds-live&scope=site.

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