Orleans House (what's left of it)
Towards the end of our lovely Saturday out in the far reaches of London, we called in to have a quick look at the Orleans House Gallery. The Octagon Room is all that survives of the original grand house that was at one time the family home of an exiled French prince. The house was demolished in 1926, its fine stone turned into gravel, and the site was used for the excavation of gravel for a number of years after that. The Octogan and some of the grounds were saved by the owner of a neighbouring house, Mrs Nellie Iodides, who in the 1950's used it as a grand dining room for entertaining guests, apparently, as the building had no kitchen, all the food had to be brought over from Mrs Ionides' main house, "on trays held high, with a procession led by the butler (in tail coat), footman (in blue and gold livery), and several kitchen and parlour maids (smartly attired in black dresses with frilly aprons)". On her death in 1962 she bequeathed the building and her paintings to the borough of Twickenham which ensured its safety, though in the first few years it suffered the theft of the large ornate central hanging chandelier and the painting that belonged above the fireplace.
For anyone interested the history of the house is *here*:
Nellie Ionides is shown here with one of her beloved poodles Cliquot.
The interior as it is now/was on our visit....
What is left of the grounds is lovely too... a haven for artists, the occasional statue, and a few remaining stones from the once great gate posts....
For anyone interested the history of the house is *here*:
Nellie Ionides is shown here with one of her beloved poodles Cliquot.
The interior as it is now/was on our visit....
What is left of the grounds is lovely too... a haven for artists, the occasional statue, and a few remaining stones from the once great gate posts....