Nigel Turner
Kew Palace, London
Kew Palace, located in Kew Gardens, London, is the smallest and most intimate of the royal palaces. The four-storey brick house was built c. 1631 by Samuel Fortrey, a merchant of Dutch origin, whose initials together with those of his wife Catherine, can be seen above the entrance. It is constructed of red bricks laid in a style known as Flemish bond, consisting of bricks arranged with sides and ends alternating. The gabled main front gives the house a Dutch appearance. Later alterations included the installation of sash windows to replace the original brick mullions and transforms.First used by the Royal Family in 1728, the Palace was finally purchased by George III in 1781 as an annex to the White House (now demolished, and formerly located where the sundial now stands) to accommodate his expanding family, subsequently becaming a more permanent home for the Royal Family. Queen Charlotte died her
The summer home of King George III, Kew Palace is one of the lesser known royal residences in London and is the oldest building within the Gardens.
Georgian Palace. – © 0. Afflamen / Shutterstock
It was constructed in 1631 for a Flemish merchant, Samuel Fortrey. A lover’s knot with the initials S and C are carved over the front door of the house representing his initials and that of his wife, Catherine de Latfeur.
About 100 years later, it was leased by Queen Caroline and subsequently bought by George III. He and his wife, Queen Charlotte, spent happy summers at Kew Palace with their 15 children and it was an important refuge during his infamous episodes of ‘madness’. After Queen Charlotte died in 1818, Kew Palace was closed up.It remained unoccupied until 1898, when Queen Victoria – who did not care for the property – transferred it, along with Queen Charlotte’s Cottage, to Kew Gardens to allow it to be opened to the public. It remained open to the public until 1996, when it was closed for a ten year restoration. On 21 April 2006, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 80th birthday there with a lavish dinner and several days later it was re-opened to the public.
Today, admission to Kew Palace, the nearby Royal Kitchens and Queen Charlotte’s Cottage, is included in the cost of entry to Kew Gardens. The Palace and other royal buildings at Kew are only open during the summer months – from Easter to the last weekend in September.
Kew Palace is a British royal palace in Kew Gardens on the banks of the River Thames up river from London.
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