London - Kensington Palace

The Orangery (1704) near Kensington Palace was attributed to Christopher Wren but is probably by Nicholas Hawksmoor.

The State Apartments on the first floor of Kensington Palace are open to the public; they are mostly furnished in the style of the 17th and 18th centuries. There is a special exhibition of coronation robes.

The Queen's Staircase, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1690, leads to the Queen's Gallery, a room with oak paneling and decorated with royal portraits.

There follows the dining room, living room, work room and bedroom of Queens Victoria, Mary and Anne. All the rooms contain the Queens' personal possessions.

Passing through various rooms of Kings William III, George I and George II, the visitor enters King William's Gallery, a 32m/105ft long apartment which was designed by Wren. It contains pictures of London in the 18th and 19th centuries, a ceiling painting by Kent ("Adventures of Ulysses"), and woodcarving by Grinling Gibbons.

Of the adjoining Victorian rooms the following are especially interesting: the Cupola Room, which has a blue and gold dome, was where Queen Victoria was baptized; the King's Drawing Room with a clock made in 1730 representing the "Temple of the Four Monarchies" (Assyria, Persia, Greece and Rome). Outside the south front of the palace is a statue of William III, presented to Edward VII by William II of Germany. On the east side is a statue of Queen Victoria.