Historic Royal Palaces - Kensington Palace
A Home for the British Royal Family Since the 17th Century
© Kim Rush
Sep 2, 2009
During the Tudor and Stuart period, the Palace of Whitehall served as the principal London residence for the royal family. However, when William and Mary came to the throne in 1689, they wanted a place that was not in the middle of the damp and polluted air of London.
Kensington House
In June 1689, William purchased Nottingham House, a Jacobean mansion built in 1605. Nottingham House was located in the village of Kensington, outside London. It was owned by William’s Secretary of State, the Earl of Nottingham. William commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to modify the house. Wren added additional rooms to the house and re-orientated the house by designing a courtyard and entrance on the west side. In his renovations, Wren made no attempt at grandeur. In fact, the mansion was never described as a palace; it was always referred to as Kensington House. The 26-acre gardens, which no longer exist, were designed by London and Wise.
The Court came to Kensington House in December 1689. In 1694, Queen Mary died of smallpox at Kensington. Following her death, much of the furniture was removed and furnished in a grander style. When Queen Anne succeeded the throne in 1702, she extended the royal apartments and gardens.
By the time George I became king, Kensington House had fallen into disrepair. In 1718, he authorized a rebuilding plan under the guidance of William Benson, who replaced Wren as Surveyor, and William Kent. Another house was built on the north side of the estate and appears to have become the home of George I’s grandson, Frederick, after he became Prince of Wales. In addition, the king’s granddaughters lived at the residence with their governess.
Kensington Palace
George II was the last reigning monarch to reside at Kensington. He transformed the house into a palace, under the supervision of Henry Wise and Charles Bridgman. During his reign, the basis of the present Kensington Gardens were laid and opened to the public on Saturdays. In the later 18th century, they were opened to the public, and after 1841 the gardens ceased to become private.
After George II’s death in 1760, the palace fell into disrepair until the 19th century, when apartments were required for members of the royal family. Alterations for made for Edward, Duke of Kent (the father of Queen Victoria), Caroline of Brunswick (the wife of George IV, then Prince of Wales) and her daughter Princess Charlotte, and Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex.
Queen Victoria
On May 24, 1819, the future Queen Victoria was born in a ground-floor room of the northeast corner of the Duke of Kent’s apartments. Victoria continued to live at the palace with her mother after the Duke’s death. It was while she was at Kensington that Victoria was given news of her accession to the throne. She held her accession council in a ground floor salon at the palace on June 20, 1837.
After her accession, Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace with her mother. Their apartments were given to the Duke and Duchess of Teck. In 1867, the future Queen Mary was born there.
Open to the Public
In 1898 Queen Victoria persuaded Parliament to fund the restoration of Kensington Palace with the understanding that the State Apartments would be made public. The State apartments were opened in May 1899.
In 1912 the State Apartments were used to house the London Museum. In 1914 the Museum was moved and the apartments were closed until 1912. From 1912 to 1956, the apartments were opened on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. In 1956 they were again refurnished and opened to the public on November 29.
Royal Residence
Today Kensington Palace is the official residence of many members of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. It was also the official residence of Diana, Princess of Wales, Princess Margaret, and Princess Alice until their deaths.
Sources:
Haynes, John. Kensington Palace. London: Historic Royal Palaces Agency, 1995.
Historic Royal Palaces. “Kensington Palace” (accessed September 2, 2009)
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