1001 Arabian Nights: London

The Decorative Genius of Robert Adam - Kenwood House

Kenwood House stands on an eminence overlooking the gentle slopes of Hampstead Heath and surveys the distant skyline of central London. Designed by Robert Adam at the height of his powers, it embodies an atmosphere of serenity and peace only achievable through perfect proportion and an expert handling of natural light.

The main social spaces occupy the ground floor, allowing them to have french doors that open directly out to the gardens. This was an unusual arrangement at the time. Typically the ground floor rooms were devoted to servants and service spaces such as the kitchen, with the main social spaces on the next floor up, the "piano nobile". Adam's alternative arrangement brought the Italian/Palladian inspired arrangement into line with the more landscape oriented English country lifestyle.

The Library is the heart of Kenwood House, a room that perfectly balances space, light, color, form, sound and function.

The Antechamber to the Library

The Stair Hall

Skylight in the Stair Hall

An antechamber with an oculus allowing light in from a skylight in the floor above.

Details from various rooms

Kenwood House was Robert Adam's third country house in the London area, with work performed from 1764-1779. His other London country houses are Osterley Park and Syon House.

The Decorative Genius of Robert Adam - Syon House

Work at Robert Adam's Syon House began in 1762, just one year after Osterley Park, which is just 2 miles away. The house was built over the foundations of an immense and completely destroyed abbey. In recent years archeologists have discovered additional foundations, suggesting the abbey was similar in scale to Westminster Abbey and would have been one of the largest in Great Britain.

Adam's design for Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, was a square plan, built around a courtyard. An immense enclosed rotunda was originally planned for the courtyard space. But this was eliminated to save cost. What remains is still one of the most extraordinary suites of rooms to be found in any country house in England.

The original entrance gate, no longer in use.

The Entry Hall

The Ante-chamber between the Entry Hall and Dining Room

Details of the Dining Room

The Red Drawing Room - it serves as an ante-chamber between the Dining Room and the Long Gallery

The Long Gallery

The pale blue at the top center shows the original color. Time and pollution have dimmed the finishes. The owners are now raising funds for a complete cleaning of the Long Gallery.

The Stair Hall ceiling

The Duke's study

To see Robert Adam's other London country houses visit my blog post for Osterley Park and Kenwood House.

Also check out my post for the magnificent Great Conservatory by Charles Fowler. It occupies pride of place in the gardens of Syon House and inspired Joseph Paxton when he designed the Crystal Palace.

The Decorative Genius of Robert Adam - Osterley Park

Osterley Park was one of Robert Adam's earliest opportunities to put his ideas to test in a country house setting. At the time it was begun in 1761 Osterley Park was surrounded by countryside, though still easily accessible from London. Since then the city has grown up around it. But it still provides one of the largest green spaces in the west London area. Osterley park is just a short distance from another Adam masterpiece, Syon House.

The house rests on top of the foundations of an Elizabethan house that had fallen into disrepair. The plan is a variation of a courtyard plan, with living blocks on 3 sides and one side open to a grand portico.