The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace from the southeast.
The wing containing Apartment No. 1A
overlooks a private garden to the south.

With the anticipation of the birth of an heir to the British throne, an up-grade in accommodations at Kensington Palace was granted William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  Soon improvements will be complete on the largest of the private apartments at Kensington Palace, No. 1A.  This is a reversal of policy from a few years a go that royal residency at Kensington Palace would be phased out.  No. 1A was last occupied by Princess Margaret who died in 2002.


An aerial view of Kensington Palace
via mail.co.uk

This is a near repeat of about fifty years ago when the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret, married Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 and received a relatively minor apartment in Kensington Palace.  But when Margaret informed the Queen of her pregnancy, No. 1A was assigned to the young family.  The apartment occupies a section of the clock tower wing designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King William and Queen Mary in the 17th century.  It had been occupied by Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise, until her death in 1939, then by Victoria's grandson, the Marquess of Carisbrooke. 


Apartment No. 1A is to the right (south)
of the Clock Court.




No. 1A is essentially a four-story attached house, what would be called a terrace house in England.  Most sources cite it as having 20 rooms but others list it as having 57 rooms, which seems to be counting the service rooms such as the linen storeroom, the luggage room, a drying room, a pantry just for crystal, and a photographic studio.



The entrance to the Clock Court in the 1920s.

An 18 month renovation for the Snowdons was provided through an allotment of GBP 85,000 plus a matching amount (largely used for furnishings) from their private income, minus a gift of GBP 20,000 provided by the Queen. 


A vintage view of the Entrance Hall of No. 1A.
Photo via Royal Dish blog.

The main reception rooms are on the ground floor with the Entrance Hall acting as a spine along the inner courtyard, running the entire length of the wing.  There's an elegant Drawing Room, a Dining Room, a Study used by Lord Snowdon, a Conservatory, and a Guest Cloak Room (which we would call a Powder Room).


Princess Margaret in her Drawing Room, circa 1981,
Apartment No. 1A, Kensington Palace.
Photo via Easy Branches blog.

Lord Snowdon's uncle, Oliver Messel, advised on the décor, as did Snowdon's lifelong friend, Carl Toms, a set designer.  The Regency Style Drawing Room had walls of kingfisher blue with a custom made neo-classical rug designed by Toms.



The Dining Room, in a photo believed to be taken for
a function after Princess Margaret's occupation.
Photo via Royal Dish blog.

During their courtship, Tony would prepare meals for just the two of them in his rented room and she would clean up afterwards.  So the concept of a Family Kitchen was an important feature and the first for a royal palace. 


The Snowdons' Kitchen.
Photo via Royal Dish blog.

The Kitchen was 350 square feet with modern cabinets of white and teak-patterned plastic laminate with stainless steel countertops and a sculptural exhaust hood.  In addition to a 100 square foot larder, it contained all the modern conveniences of the time: a large refrigerator, a deep freezer, and a garbage disposal.


Princess Margaret in her wedding tiara
in a photo by Lord Snowdon.
Image via www.edur.it

As customary, Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon each had their own bedroom and bathroom.  Hers was fitted with white marble and, as her specific request, an orchid-color sink.  But a departure from tradition was having the rooms for Viscount Linley on the same floor as his parents.  The baby had a night nursery and a day nursery, plus his own kitchen and bathroom.  Additionally, there were three more principal bedrooms and dressing rooms, nine staff bedrooms, four staff bathrooms, two staff kitchens, and two staff sittings rooms.  (Apparently the distinction between the staff rooms was due to a hierarchy among the servants).  Lord Snowdon, who had studied architecture before becoming a popular photographer, insisted on some modern features such as flush doors and what we in the US would call Danish Modern detailing for his Study;  in addition, he wanted some electric devices that did not meet the approval of the Ministry of Works, according to sources.  What may or may not have been a coincidence, a fire delayed the Snowdons moving in.


The Third Floor of Kensington Palace.
Image via Royal Dish blog.

In this color-coded floor plan, the pink rooms are the State Apartment maintained by Historic Royal Palaces that may be visited as a museum.  The violet rooms are one of four floors of Apt No. 1A.  The tan rooms are Apt 1, now occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (Prince Richard);  formerly it was the home of his mother, Princess Alice, and the home of Princess Marina before that.  The green rooms are Apt 8/9, formerly the apartment of Diana, Princess of Wales;  part (or all) of it is now used as The Prince's Drawing School.  The golden rooms are the apartment of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.


A proposal to improve the public entrance,
with the architectural changes not realized.
Image via Historic Royal Palaces.

The current renovation of No. 1A underway for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly costing approximately $1.52 million.  Some news sources are guessing that the interior design is being carried out by antiques dealer & designer Annabel Elliot, the sister of Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, William's stepmother.  However, the media had seen Catherine shopping at up-scale speciality retail shops for nursery items and there has been speculation that Kelly Hoppen has contributed to that room at least.


An alternate new public entrance to Kensington Palace.
This design, with a few changes, was built.
Image by John Simpson Architects via London Evening Standard.

Kensington Palace has also been in the news for the GBP 12 million refurbishment in honor of the Queen's Jubilee.  It is unique that it is the only British royal palace where the general public can visit the garden and the ground floor of the State Apartments wing free of charge.  John Simpson Architects, one of Prince Charles' favorites, designed the new ticket court and the new public entrance, the latter being controversial for its design.  (After the first design for the entrance was rejected, an alternate that was lower and not attached to the building was submitted as a compromise).  A new garden approach was designed by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan.  A previous post of The Devoted Classicist about Todd and his work at Kensington Palace may be read here.  A post on Todd's London home, Malplaquet House, may be read here.



Landscape architect Todd Longstaffe-Gowan
at the base of the statue of Queen Victoria
in the garden he designed at Kensington Palace.
Photo via www.tlg-landscape.co.uk/

New Twist On Sister



A portrait of Sister Parish with her Pekingese, Yummy, by Aaron Shikler.
From Parish-Hadley, Sixty Years of American Design by Christopher Petkanas, 1995.

 There is a new book about my former employer, the legendary decorator Sister Parish, which will be available in the U.S. in November, 2011.  Dorothy May Kinnicutt (whose year of birth is often listed as 1910, but sometimes earlier), was dubbed "Sister" by her brothers and the name stuck even after she became Mrs. Henry Parish, 2nd.  In the Olden Days, when members of High Society were often in the newspapers only three times -- birth, marriage, and death -- Sister Parish quietly decorated the homes of the Rich for thirty years before becoming nationally known.  A newspaper headline announced "Kennedys Pick Nun to Decorate White House" when she joined the committee to contribute to the highly publicized redecoration of the Executive Mansion.  Bringing on Albert Hadley, the business partnership became Parish-Hadley for another thirty years, and the office continuing on several more after Mrs. Parish's passing in 1994.

The Guest Room at Greentree known as the Princess Margaret bedroom.
From Parish-Hadley, Sixty Years of American Design by Christopher Petkanas, 1995.

While it would be hard for The Devoted Classicist to name a favorite Parish-Hadley project, the sprawling mansion on the Greentree estate is certainly the most memorable.  One of several lavish residences of John Hay "Jock" Whitney and his second wife Betsey of the famous Cushing sisters (formerly married to FDR son James Roosevelt, her sister Minnie was once married to Vincent Astor and her sister Babe was married to Standard Oil heir Stanley Mortimer, Jr., before marrying CBS founder William Paley), the estate was created starting in 1904 with the purchase of five contiguous farms by Mr. Whitney's father, Payne Whitney, stretching across the entire width of Long Island from sound to ocean.  The original colonial farmhouse was expanded to become an enormous mansion, filled with exquisite art and made exceptionally comfortable with the help of Parish-Hadley and a sizeable household staff.  When Jock Whitney, Thoroughbred horse enthusiast and one of the wealthiest men in the world, was named by President Eisenhower as the Ambassador to the Court of St. James, the Whitneys became close friends of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, as well as the other members of the royal family.



Copyright 2011 Frances Lincoln Ltd.  Author:  Martin Wood.  $60.00.

 It is not surprising that the guest bedroom at Greentree known as the Princess Margaret bedroom is featured on the cover of the new book by Martin Wood, as it is very representative of the style of Sister Parish, comfortable and without ostentation despite the elements of formality and the huge house.  The story of the redecoration of the room for the private visit by the Princess and Lord Snowden after their highly publicized 1960 wedding is told with photos in both books Parish-Hadley, Sixty Years of American Design and Albert Hadley, The Story of America's Preeminent Interior Designer.  A private suite of two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a sitting room was formed from a line of rooms, creating a passage through a former closet to connect the bedrooms withoug disturbing the existing nineteenth century French scenic wallpaper.  Tone-on-tone Swiss muslin curtains with tassel fringe paired with natural linen roller shades trimmed with Irish lace dress the windows with a matching treatment for the dressing table holding a triptych mirror and a pair of bronze candlestick lamps in the form of a palm tree sheltering a giraffe.  A carpet of a small geometric pattern is scattered with a number of antique hooked rugs, a favorite Sister Parish touch.  There is no use of chintz here, considered a trademark, but the bed with a custom shaped headboard upholstered with cotton matelasse is covered with a boldly graphic American quilt, quintessentially Mrs. Parish.

The publication of this new book is greatly anticipated as the Sister Parish style of decorating is still popular today.  The chapters start with "Where It All Began" and continue to "Twilight", plus a Bibliography, Notes, and an Index.  The author Martin Wood is known for his widely acclaimed previous design biographies, John Fowler: Prince of Decorators and Nancy Lancaster:  English Country House Style which showcase the forces behind the legendary London interiors firm Colefax & Fowler.


In affiliation with Amazon, the Sister Parish, Albert Hadley, and Parish-Hadley books are available through The Devoted Classicist Library here.   The books on John Fowler, Nancy Lancaster, and Colefax & Fowler are available here.