Nairn's London by Ian Nairn

Author:Ian Nairn
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141396163
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2014-09-08T04:00:00+00:00

Kensington Palace Orangery

Nominally Sir Christopher Wren, 1704

The Palace is unpretentious and humdrum – which is just marvellous, from any other point of view than that of this guide, because this self-effacement ensured that we had an 1832 rather than a 1789. The London Museum, housed in part of it, has caught the bug, unhappily, and whatever comes over from the posed set-pieces is certainly not London. But the Orangery is worth going to see. It was designed at a time when Hawksmoor was probably in charge of Wren’s office. The outside, indeed, looks like Wren: a long, plain, dignified envelope, like Chelsea Hospital, vamped up at the ends and centre. But inside, the new style had free rein, and though the details are meticulous and conventional, they are stated with far more force than Wren could normally have mustered. A long, narrow main room has what seem to be apsed ends. When you get there, they are complete circles, hidden by the narrowness of the opening. Impeccable entablature bends round into an enticement.

75 1E

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