Friday 26 July 2013

Highclere Castle - Downton Abbey - Photos and Floor Plans - Part 1 of 2

Situated in Hampshire, Highclere Castle is the ancestral home and family seat of the Earls of Carnarvon.

The current house was remodelled and rebuilt by Sir Charles Barry, between 1839-1842.

The house is best known today as the location of Downton Abbey, an ITV period drama. Although Highclere Castle has been used as a location in many productions including; The Secret Garden, Eyes Wide Shut and Jeeves & Wooster.

Below: Some photos of the exterior of Highclere Castle, the location of Downton Abbey.



























Below: The floor plans of Highclere Castle. The staircase shown in Downton Abbey is a later addition to the house and so are not reflected in these plans.



 Please stay tuned for Part 2 in my Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) series.

Monday 15 July 2013

Kensington Palace - Part 4 of 4 - Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace - Home of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge

Situated on the South side of Kensington Palace, Apartment 1A is the largest of the private apartments located at Kensington Palace. Please see post 2 on Kensington Palace for the floor plans of Apartment 1A within the palace.

Apartment 1A is the former marital home of Princess Margaret, the Countess of Snowdon and the Earl of Snowdon. After their divorce it remained the home of Princess Margaret until her death.

In 2012 it was announced that Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace would become the marital home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after undergoing extensive renovations. Until that point it had been used by Historic Royal Palaces, a charity which maintains non-residential royal palaces, as an exhibition space and private hire venue, generating income for the charity.

Below: The garden front of Apartment 1A seen from the South. This photo shows Apartment 1A with scaffolding in place during the renovation of the apartment. The wall securing the private garden can be seen in the foreground.


Below: The entrance front of Apartment 1A, seen from the main courtyard of Kensington Palace.


Below: The wall is constructed to secure the private garden in time for Princess Margaret taking up residence in Apartment 1A.


Below: The entrance hall of Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace.


Below: The formal drawing room of Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace. After Princess Margaret's death this room was used by Historic Royal Palaces to host exhibitions and also offered for private hire for dining and entertaining (as featured in the photos).





Below: Lord Snowdon's study in Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace.


Below: The kitchen of Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace. The kitchen is located on the ground floor to the left side of the main entrance of Apartment 1A, it overlooks the courtyard of the palace.



Below: Princess Margaret assesses the damage to her home after a fire at Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace.


Below: The private walled garden of Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace. This will be the private walled garden of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. This will be the private family garden of their new home. See photos above for the walled boundary of the garden of Apartment 1A.


Thank you for reading my 4 part series on Kensington Palace including photos of the exterior, interior, floorplans and details on Apartments 8, 9 and 1A. I hope you've enjoyed reading. If I get access to any further insightful photos I will be sure to post them.

Saturday 13 July 2013

Kensington Palace - Part 3 of 4 - Apartments 8 & 9 - Princess Diana's Apartment at Kensington Palace

Apartments 8 & 9 of Kensington Palace, located on the palace's north side is the former home of the Prince and Princess of Wales. When the couple separated Prince Charles left the family home and moved into St James's Palace whilst Diana continued to use the apartment as her residence until her death in 1997.

Please see Part 2 of my Kensington Palace series for details on the floor plans of Kensington Palace, including Diana's apartment.

Below: Prince Charles welcomes a visitor at the Wales's home at Kensington Palace.








Below: The Entrance Hall & Vestibule of Apartment 8 at Kensington Palace.






Below: The Drawing Room of Apartments 8 & 9 at Kensington Palace.







Below: The Dining Room at Princess Diana's Apartment at Kensington Palace.





Below: Princess Diana's Study in her apartment at Kensington Palace.





Thank you for reading and please stay tuned for my 4th and last post on Kensington Palace, which will feature Apartment 1A, former home of Princess Margaret, and future home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Thursday 4 July 2013

Kensington Palace - Photos and Floor Plans - Part 2 of 4

Described by Edward VIII as the 'Aunt Heap', Kensington Palace over the centuries has been home to Queen Anne, Queen Victoria, Diana, Princess of Wales, Princess Alice and Princess Margaret.





Below: Kensington Palace Floor Plans



Below: Kensington Palace Floor Plan guide

Pink - State rooms
Purple - Apartment 1A (Former home of Princess Margaret, future home of William & Kate Cambridge)
Beige - Apartment 1 (Home of the Duke & Duchess of Gloucester)
Green - Apartments 8 & 9 (Former home of Charles & Diana, Diana's home after her divorce)
Orange - Apartment 10  (Home of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent)






Below: Floor plan of the State Floor (South aspect is top of the image)

Please stay tuned for parts 3 & 4 that will focus on Apartment 1A and Apartments 8&9

Monday 1 July 2013

Kensington Palace - Photos and Floor Plans - Part 1 of 4

Situated in Central West London, to the South West of Kensington Garden, Kensington Palace is a royal residence, home to the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

Below: Some aerial views of Kensington Palace.




Below: the East Side of Kensington Palace.






Below: Kensington Palace ground floor reception room.


Below: Kensington Palace King's Gallery.



Below: Kensington Palace King's Grand Staircase



Below: Kensington Palace Cupola Room




Below: Kensington Palace North Side and North Entrance.









Below: Kensington Palace West Side.


Please stay tuned for my next posts on Floor Plans, Apartment 1A and Apartments 8 & 9.