|
Date: |
|
Description: | A detached villa originally built circa 1616 but renovated circa 1749 and forming the core of the present house, including the orangery with boudoir on the west. During 1767-1768 Robert Adam added the library with anteroom on the east and the north entrance portico, together with an additional second floor on the south front which he remodelled. Circa 1795 George Sanders added the projecting north wings and west veranda. The house was restored in 1955-9. The north front is of 3 storeys and has a stucco centre and white brick wings with hipped slate roofs forming a shallow entrance court. The south front has a central block of 3 storeys, linked on either side by single storey units to the orangery and library. It is also stuccoed with a slate roof. The interior has largely been redecorated by Adam with ceilings and murals by Antonio Zucchi and Angelica Kauffman. The original brick house was renovated circa 1749 for John, 3rd Earl of Bute. It was acquired by the first Earl of Mansfield in 1754 and remodelled as a holiday retreat by Adam. It became a permanent residence in 1780, the 2nd Earl setting the road back to its current line in 1793 allowing the house to stand free in the park. The bulk of the estate was bought in 1922 to save it from redevelopment and in 1924 vested in the London County Council. The brewing magnate Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl of Iveagh, bought the house in 1925 and bequeathed it and his art collection to the nation in 1927. During World War II the house was closed and the pictures evacuated. In 1949 the London County Council became the administrative trustee of the Bequest. The house was formally reopened to the public in May 1950. From the 1st April 1965 the London County Council's responsibilities were assumed by the Greater London Council and since 1 April 1986 Kenwood has been the responsibility of English Heritage. | Subjects: | Agriculture And Subsistence Villa Domestic | Source: | English Heritage - Viewfinder | Creator: | National Monuments Record | Identifier: | http://pastscape.english-heritage.org.uk... | Language: | en | Go to resource |
|
|