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Hampton Court Palace[edit]
In 1832 the Office of Works and Public Buildings was subsumed into the Office of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues, and responsibility for the maintenance of unoccupied Royal palaces was passed to the reconstituted Office of Works in 1838. As Itinerant Deputy Surveyor with responsibility for the districts of Hampton Court and Windsor, Hampton Court Palace fell under Jesse's responsibility.[1]
The Palace was opened to the general public in December 1838,[a] initially displaying works from the Royal Collection in the State Apartments, with only the interior courtyards, gardens and Apartments open for viewing. Previously, members of the public had been able to tour the palace in small groups conducted by the housekeeper, but throughout, the Great Hall had been inaccessible.[b][3] The Hall had been cleared in the early 18th century by architect James Wyatt (on the orders of George III), removing the theatre fixtures and fittings installed by William III and George I, and adding a new door at the east end of the Hall through to the Great Watching Chamber.[4]
In July 1840 Jesse began a substantial restoration of the Hall, his Romantic interpretation aiming to give "an appearance similar, perhaps, to that it formerly presented when it was occupied by the Cardinal of York and his princely retinue."[5] Jesse decorated the Hall with stag's heads between each window, banners displaying the "devices of Henry VIII and the arms of Wolsey", a string course of Tudor roses and portcullises, and a specially-commissioned statue of St George slaying the Dragon - placed on "a richly-carved stone bracket, inscribed 'Seynt George for merrie Englande,'".[6]
Armour
Tapestries
Jesse's renovations at Hampton Court Palace were influenced by the Gothic Revival of the mid-nineteenth century,
and in particular the work of architect Jeffry Wyatville (who had remodelled Windsor Castle).[7] Jesse was also influenced by Gothic architect Edward Blore, who had assisted Jesse with the Tudor restoration of the West Front of Hampton Court Palace, including the replacement of 17th century sash windows with reproduction Gothic arched windows. Parker 57
novels of Walter Scott Parker 48
some armour made, others loaned from the Tower of London
Jesse undertook a plan of works and restoration for the palace 'to evoke some of the atmosphere of the time of the builder of the palace, King Henry VIII'.
Jesse's presentation of the Great Hall has been described as "one of the great Romantic interiors of the mid-nineteenth century"[8]. Jesse himself has been described as "both the first curator and the first interpreter of Hampton Court Palace,"[9] and "a forerunner to the HRP[c] Conservation and Learning Department".[10]
expressed admiration for the work of architect Jeffry Wyatville (who had remodelled Windsor Castle).
Jesse was also influenced by Gothic architect Edward Blore, who had assisted Jesse with the Tudor restoration of the West Front of Hampton Court Palace, including the replacement of 17th century sash windows with reproduction Gothic arched windows. Walter Scott
novels of Walter Scott
Notes and references[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The last monarch to reside at the palace was George II, and informal tours of the palace and its art collection had been conducted by the staff since the 18th century. The decision to open the palace to the general public was made following the death of the long-serving housekeeper, Lady Emily Montagu, on 21 April 1838. Lord Duncannon, First Commissioner of Woods and Forests, immediately recommended to (the then-19 year old) Queen Victoria that the housekeeper role be abolished. In August the State Apartments were closed to make preparations for opening to the general public, which took place on Tuesday 4 December. [2]
- ^ A situation described as like "a performance of Hamlet without the principal character". See "Hampton Court Palace". The Mirror of Literature, Amusement and Instruction. 25 (710): 161. 14 March 1835.
- ^ Historic Royal Palaces
References[edit]
Bettany, G. T.; Goldbloom, Alexander (23 September 2004). "Jesse, Edward (1780–1868), writer on natural history.". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Davis, John R. (2024). "An Act of 'Queenly Beneficence'? A Historical Investigation of the Opening of Hampton Court Palace to the Public in the Nineteenth Century". The Court Historian. 29 (1): 17–32.
Houstoun, Matilda Charlotte (1889). Silvanus Redivivus. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Jesse, Edward (1841). A Summer's Day at Hampton Court (4th ed.). London: John Murray.
Lipscomb, Suzannah (Summer 2010). "Historical Authenticity and Interpretative Strategy at Hampton Court Palace". The Public Historian. 32 (3): 98–119 – via JSTOR.
Parker, Julia (2009). Reinvention and continuity in the making of an historic visitor attraction: control access and display at Hampton Court Palace,1838-1938 (PhD thesis). Kingston University, London.
Thurley, Simon (2003). Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History. London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300102232.
Sources[edit]
- ^ Parker 2009, p. 45.
- ^ Davis 2024, pp. 20, 30–31.
- ^ Parker 2009, p. 34.
- ^ Thurley 2003, p. 288.
- ^ Jesse 1841, p. 132.
- ^ Jesse 1841, pp. 134–135; Parker 2009, p. 38; Lipscomb 2010, p. 103.
- ^ Thurley 2003, p. 294.
- ^ Thurley 2003, p. 295.
- ^ Lipscomb 2010, p. 104.
- ^ Parker 2009, p. 35.