|
|
Article: Reopening of Kew Palace.(Report from Europe)(Brief article)
- Article from:
- The Magazine Antiques
- Article date:
- April 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
In 1631, a French-born Flemish merchant named Samuel Fortrey built a house in the village of Kew, about ten miles from the center of London. It was used intermittently as a royal residence for nearly one hundred years. George III and Queen Charlotte made much use of the house because it could accommodate their large family and was sufficiently rural to serve as a retreat from formal court life. It was the palace at which the king convalesced in 1801 during one of his notorious bouts of mental illness, and where Queen Charlotte spent the last six months of her life. One of the last major roles for Kew in royal history took place in July 1818, when the double wedding of the ...