Orleans House (The Octagon)

Twickenham, Richmond-upon-Thames

London

England

Historic County: Middlesex

Circa Date: 1720

Status: Partially Extant

Mostly demolished 1926-27; Octagon section extant.

House Open to Public: Yes

Country House: No (Villa)

House & Family History: James Johnston, joint secretary of state for Scotland, added the Octagon to Orleans House, circa 1720, to the design of James Gibbs. On August 13, 1729 Johnston gave a banquet for Queen Caroline, wife of George II, in the Octagon. Louis-Philippe, Duc d'Orleans amd King of France, lived at Orleans House in exile in the early 19th century. During 1926-27 most of Orleans House was demolished. The Octagon and two wings were saved by Mrs. Ionides, who purchased the House in 1962. Mrs. Ionides left her collection of paintings and prints to the Borough of Twickenham on her death in 1962, together with The Octagon. Her will stipulated that the House should be open to the public as a public art gallery.
Architect: John James

Date of Birth: Circa 1673
Date of Death: 1746
Nationality: English
Notes: James and Hawksmoor occasionally collaborated on designs.

Designed: Orleans House (demolished 1926-27)

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Architect: James Gibbs

Date of Birth: 1682
Date of Death: 1754
Nationality: English
Notes: Ditchley Park is considered Gibbs's most important country house. The architect is most noted for his famous design for the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, a remarkably advanced design for its time, even when examined within the context of continental European design trends. John Wilton-Ely, writing in "The Triumph of the Baroque: Architecture in Europe 1600-1750": "In the history of ecclesiastical architecture, Gibbs's church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields was to prove one of the most influential designs throughout the English-speaking world of Protestant worship."

Date: 1720
Designed: Octagon House

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Vitruvius Britannicus: C. I, pl. 77, 1715.

Country Life: XCVI, 464, 1944.
House Listed: Grade I

Park Listed: Not Listed
Past Seat / Home of: James Johnston, 18th century. Henri Eugène Philippe Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, mid-19th century. Louis-Philippe, Duc d'Orleans, later King Louis-Philippe of France, 1813-15.

Current Ownership Type: Government

Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction

Ownership Details: Owned by London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames and, since 1972, operated as Orleans House Gallery.
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 02088-316-000

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.orleanshousegallery.org

Historic Houses Member: No

Orleans House (The Octagon)

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