Kew Palace
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Three buildings at Kew, which is now a western suburb of London, have been known as Kew Palace. One of them survives and is open to visitors. Most of the text of this article was first published in 1827.
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[edit] Old Kew Palace
The old palace was built 1631 by Samuel Fortrey.
The building formerly belonged to the Capel family, and by marriage became the property of Samuel Molyneux, Esq., secretary to George II. The late Frederick, Prince of Wales, took a long lease of the house, which he made his frequent residence; and here, too, occasionally resided his favourite poet, James Thomson, author of "The Seasons." The house contained some good pictures, among which were a set of Canaletti's works; the celebrated picture of the Florence gallery, by Zoffany, (who resided in the neighbourhood). The pleasure-grounds, which contained 120 acres, were laid out by Sir William Chambers, one of the greatest masters of ornamental English gardening.
[edit] George III's Kew Palace
This second structure was designed in part by King George III, and otherwise by James Wyatt. Commenced in 1802, it was a gothic "castellated palace" which attracted little praise. After the King’s confinement at Windsor, Queen Charlotte declined to occupy the new building and her son George IV had it demolished in 1827.
Innumerable are the instances of princes having sought to perpetuate their memories by the building of palaces, from the Domus Aurea, or golden house of Nero, to the comparatively puny structures of our own times. As specimens of modern magnificence and substantial comfort, the latter class of edifices may be admirable; but we are bound to acknowledge, that in boldness and splendour of design, they cannot assimilate to the labours of antiquity, much of whose stupendous character is to this day preserved in many series of interesting ruins:—
- Whilst in the progress of the long decay,
- Thrones sink to dust, and nations pass away.
As a record of this degeneracy, near the western corner of Kew Green stands the palace, commenced for George III., under the direction of the late James Wyatt, Esq. The north front possesses an air of solemn, sullen grandeur; but it very ill accords with the taste and science generally displayed by its nominal architect.
To quote the words of a contemporary, "this Anglo-Teutonic, castellated, gothized structure must be considered as an abortive production, at once illustrative of bad taste and defective judgment. From the small size of the windows and the diminutive proportion of its turrets, it would seem to possess
- "Windows that exclude the light,
- And passages that lead to nothing."
Upon the unhappy seclusion of the royal architect, the works were suspended, and it remained unfinished. Censure and abuse have, however, always been abundantly lavished on its architecture, whether it be the result of royal caprice or of professional study; but the taste of either party deserves to be taxed with its demerits.
The northern front was intended to be appropriated to the use of domestics; the whole building is rendered nearly indestructible by fire, by means of cast-iron joists and rafters, &c., certainly in this case an unnecessary precaution, since the whole pile is shortly to be pulled down. The foundation, too, is in a bog close to the Thames, and the principal object in its view is the dirty town of Brentford, on the opposite side of the river; a selection, it would seem, of family taste, for George II. is known to have often said, when riding through Brentford, "I do like this place, it's so like Yarmany."
Sir Richard Phillips (1767-1840), in "A Morning's Walk from London to Kew," (1817) characterized the new palace as "the Bastile palace, from its resemblance to that building, so obnoxious to freedom and freemen. On a former occasion," says he, "I have viewed its interior, and I am at a loss to conceive the motive for preferring an external form, which rendered it impracticable to construct within it more than a series of large closets, boudoirs, and rooms like oratories." The latter part of this censure is judiciously correct; but the epithet "bastile" is perhaps too harsh for some ears.
The premature fate of Kew Palace render it at this moment an object of public curiosity; while the annexed engraving may serve to identify its site, when posterity
- "Asks where the fabric stood."
[edit] Queen Charlotte's Kew Palace
The old mansion opposite the palace was taken on a long lease by Queen Caroline from the descendants of Sir Richard Levett, a powerful merchant and the former Lord Mayor of London, who had purchased it from the grandson of the builder. The mansion has been inhabited by different branches of the royal family ever since.
Originally from Sussex, the Levett family (whose name derives from the village of Livet in Normandy) retained ownership of the house, as well as other lands in the Kew complex, until 1781, when Kew Palace was purchased by King George III from the Levett family. But it had been occupied for several years before by members of the Royal Family as early as 1734, when they leased the house from the Levett heirs.
Indeed a musical portrait of the cello-playing Frederick, Prince of Wales (son of George II) and his sisters, part of the National Portrait Gallery collection in London, painted oil on canvas by Philip Mercier and dated 1733, uses the house as its plein-air backdrop. See also NPG website [1].
Queen Charlotte died in the house on November 17, 1818.
[edit] Restoration of Kew Palace
This building survives. It is located in Kew Gardens and despite its name it is the size of a manor house. It was used to hold a dinner hosted by Charles, Prince of Wales to celebrate the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II on April 21, 2006. A few days later it reopened as a visitor attraction, following a ten year closure for restoration.
The restoration not only included physical restoration to the building, but also weaving of period draperies and other fabric decor carried out by master weaver Ian Dale of Scotland. An external lift shaft was added on the west wing for disabled access.
