Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace sprung from a former Jacobean mansion built in 1605, and purchased by William and Mary in the summer of 1689 for a sum of £20,000. Owned by the Earl of Nottingham, and named 'Nottingham House', the royal couple bought it to provide a healthier residence. The king was asthmatic, and the cleaner air in the village of Kensington was much more condusive to his health than the damper atmosphere surrounding Whitehall Palace.

Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to improve the house, and began by adding pavilions to each corner of the existing building. These new pavilions contained the King and Queen's apartments, the Council Chamber, the Great Stairs and the Chapel Royal. When Wren re-orientated the house by adding a new entrance on the western elevation, he also built northern and southern wings to the approach, with an archway surmounted by a clock tower on the western side, creating an outer courtyard. The last building work attributed to William was the south front in 1695. Initially intended as a private domestic retreat, it was formerly referred to as Kensington House, rather than 'Palace'. On 28th December 1694 Queen Mary died quite suddenly from smallpox whilst at the house, and King William passed away there only eight years later following a riding fall at Hampton Court Palace.

During the reign of Queen Anne very little changed at Kensington Palace, but the grounds underwent a considerable transformation. Her efforts are best remembered by the construction of the Orangery in 1704, which still survives today. Both Queen Anne and the Prince Consort died at Kensington Palace in 1714 and 1708 respectively, just like William and Mary before them.

The accession of George I saw the remains of Nottingham House disappear completely. Remodelled by William Benson between 1718 and 1722, the new building provided three staterooms, a Privy Chamber, Cupola Room and Withdrawing Room. The striking and elaborate ceilings were the work of William Kent, an architect much admired by the King. Various alterations were then made to the northern service courts, which included the north side being entirely filled in by a self-contained house, supposedly built for the Duchess of Kendal, George's mistress.

In the time of George II Kensington Palace enjoyed its heyday, becoming the royal household's principal residence where the court would spend up to six months at a time. Little appears to have been altered structurally, with the exception of a new stable block in 1740, but fine new furniture and stylish fixtures were introduced inside Kensington Palace. Following the death of Queen Caroline in 1737, the King remained in residence but ordered large areas of the palace to be locked up, causing inevitable decay through neglect. The sudden death of the King in 1760 marked the end of an era for Kensington Palace. When George III came to the throne he favoured Buckingham House, the forerunner to Buckingham Palace, as his main residence.

Kensington Palace did continue to be a home to other members of the royal court, and it eventually became the home of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Their daughter, Victoria, was born at Kensington Palace, and continued to live there with her mother after the death of the Duke. In 1832 Sir Jeffery Wyatville was commissioned to extend their apartments, much to King William IV's displeasure, and it was in these newly furbished apartments that the teenage Princess Victoria learnt of her accession to the throne. She then moved at once to Buckingham Palace.

The private apartments at Kensington Palace were subsequently occupied by minor royals, but the main state apartments fell into a state of dilapidation. Faced with the threat of demolition, Kensington Palace was saved by Queen Victoria's intervention. She persuaded parliament to agree to the cost of restoration on the basis that the State apartments could be opened up for public viewing, and they were officially opened on the Queen's 80th Birthday, on 24th May 1899.

Between 1911 and 1914 the State apartments accommodated the London Museum until it moved to a more permanent home in Lancaster House. During the Great War the rooms were closed to the public and used as offices for various charitable organisations, eventually re-opening with restricted hours in 1923. Bombing throughout the Second World War left Kensington Palace badly damaged, and considerable finances were needed to carry out repairs. Opening to the public once again on 4th June 1949, the London Museum returned to Kensington Palace a year later, and remained there until 1976, when it moved to the Barbican.

Today the private apartments are still occupied by members of the Royal Family, and the palace was home to Princess Diana from 1981 to the time of her death in 1997. The State Apartments and the Orangery remain open to the public, and Kensington Palace also houses the royal ceremonial dress collection.