Kensington Palace (Kensington House) (Royal Palace of Kingsington) (Nottingham House)

A circa 1819 hand-colored aquatint engraving of the palace

The palace from a 1911 postcard

An 1896 photo of the palace from "Round London"

The palace in 2024. Photograph by Edward Allgeyer.

The Presence Chamber as it appeared in the early 18th century. From the Dec 24, 1898 issue of "The Graphic."

The King's Gallery as it appeared in the early 18th century. From the Dec 24, 1898 issue of "The Graphic."

The ceiling of the King's Gallery in 2024. Photograph by Edward Allgeyer.

The Queen's Gallery as it appeared in the early 18th century. From the Dec 24, 1898 issue of "The Graphic."

Queen Caroline's Drawing Room as it appeared in the early 18th century. From the Dec 24, 1898 issue of "The Graphic."

Photograph by Edward Allgeyer.

The Orangery. Photograph by Edward Allgeyer.

The orangery

Interior of the orangery

The Dutch Garden from a 1919 postcard

Princess Margaret's wedding dress and a copy of her wedding tiara

The Duchess of Fife's tiara, on loan to Kensington Palace. Photograph by Edward Allgeyer.

Earlier Houses: An earlier Jacobean house, called Nottingham House, existed on the site of today's palace. Elements of this house were incorporated into the current palace.

Built / Designed For: 1st Earl of Nottingham

House & Family History: King William III paid the earl of Nottingham 18,000 guineas in 1689 for Nottingham House, the earl's then Jacobean country house on the outskirts of London. William then hired Sir Christopher Wren to convert Nottingham House into a royal palace (he added for pavilions), circa 1689. William and his wife Mary always referred to the "sweet villa" as Kensington House. In 1690 the house burned down; the king and queen personally helped carry out furniture in the middle of the night. William Kent painted trompe l'oeil ceilings for George I; Kent's four grotesque ceilings at Kensington Palace are "...the first in the European post-Renaissance revival of the mode," according to John Harris, writing in "The Art Newspaper" in January 2004. George II died at Kensington Palace and Queen Victoria was born (in 1819) and grew up here (the princess was baptized in the Cupola Room). Queen Victoria began her reign with a Privy Council meeting in the Red Saloon in 1837. No sovereign has made their home here since 1760. Princess Diana and Princess Margaret both lived in grace and favour apartments in the palace.

Collections: Part of the private collection of Princess Margaret, formerly housed in her Kensington Palace apartment, was auctioned in London by Christie's on June 13-14, 2006. The sale of over 800 items included jewelry, Fabergé, furniture, silver, works of art and decorative objects. The proceeds of £13.6 million was used by her children to help pay off inheritance taxes on her estate (over £3 million), and to make charitable donations, including the Princess Margaret Fund at the Stroke Association. Historic Royal Palaces managed to buy a number of objects from the auction, which will be on display to the public at Kensington Palace in her former private apartment (Number 1-A). These include the Venetian blackamoor torchères (lot 680) that the princess displayed in her Drawing Room, the Royal Menu (lot 397) written by the princess's chef and showing her preferred choice of dishes, three bottles of Kensington Palace white wine (lot 789) made from grapes grown in her private garden at the palace, and a collection of Continental blue-opaline glass (lots 693 & 695) that the princess displayed throughout her apartment.
Architect: Edward Wilcox

Date of Birth: ?
Date of Death: ?
Nationality: English
Notes: Late 17th century architect most noted as foreman to William Talman and for the Stables he designed at Kensington Palace for William III.

Date: 1689
Designed: Great Stables for William III

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Architect: Christopher Wren

Date of Birth: 1632
Date of Death: 1723
Nationality: English
Notes: Wren designed very few country houses; those often attributed to him, such as Sudbury Hall, are mis-attributed.

Date: Circa 1689-91
Designed: Converted Nottingham House into Royal Palace for William and Mary (circa 1689). Designed Stable Block (1691).

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Architect: William Kent

Date of Birth: 1684-85
Date of Death: 1748
Nationality: English
Notes: Born as William Cant in Bridlington, Yorkshire, in the late 17th century, the future William Kent, who would be known in later life as "Il Signore," began as an apprentice coach painter in Hull, where his talent was soon noticed by a local squire, who, together with a number of the local Yorkshire gentry, raised the money to send Kent to Italy to study painting and architecture (he accompanied the collector John Tellman). Kent was "discovered" in Italy by Lord Burlington and became his protégé as an apostle of Palladian design. Burlington had big plans for Kent: he wanted to make him England's greatest history painter. Though this did not come to pass (his painting today is considered mediocre), Kent did become a very successful arbiter of taste. He was an architect and furniture designer, a painter, and an incredibly important landscape architect (he was one of the originators of natural landscape design and is considered by many historians to be the father of modern garden design). He was ahead of Capability Brown, Robert Adam, and Horace Walpole in setting new styles and began the trend toward controlling every aspect of architectural design. Among his followers were Matthew Brettingham the Elder, Henry Flitcroft, Isaac Ware, Stephen Wright, John Vardy, and Thomas Ripley. Though famous as an evangelist of Palladian design, his training in Italy, specifically the influence of the Italian Baroque, never left Kent's work (he was trained as a Baroque painter). The design of his famous console tables can be traced directly to Roman Baroque examples, and even some of interiors are Baroque, most notably his magnificently over-the-top staircase at 44 Berkeley Square in London. Little known is that Kent also designed for the theater, a result, very likely, of his admiration of the work of Inigo Jones.

Date: 18th century
Designed: East Wing and some of the State Rooms. Painted trompe l'oeil ceiling for George I.

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Title: Landmarks of Britain: The Five Hundred Places that Made Our History
Author: Aslet, Clive
Year Published: 2005
Reference: pg. 153
Publisher: London: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 0340735104
Book Type: Hardback

Title: Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father's Crown
Author: Waller, Maureen
Year Published: 2002
Reference: pg. 279
Publisher: London: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 0340794615
Book Type: Hardback

Title: Bombed Buildings of Britain: A Record of Architectural Casualties: 1940-41, The
Author: Richards, J.M. (Editor); Summerson, John (Notes)
Year Published: 1943
Reference: pg. 64
Publisher: New York: Oxford University Press
ISBN: NA
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade I

Park Listed: Not Listed
"A History of Britain" (2000 - TV documentary series).
Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSE: Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, until 1682. SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: King William III and Queen Mary II, late 17th century. Kings George I and George II, 18th century. Queen Victoria, 19th century. Princess Diana, 20th century. Princess Margaret, 20th century.

Current Ownership Type: The Crown / Royal Family

Primary Current Ownership Use: Mixed Use

Ownership Details: Operated by Historic Royal Palaces as a visitor attraction, the palace also contains private apartments for members of the royal family.
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 02031-666-000

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.hrp.org.uk/

Historic Houses Member: No

Kensington Palace (Kensington House) (Royal Palace of Kingsington) (Nottingham House)

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