Kensington Palace, former home to some of the country’s best-known royals, has recently become the ‘Enchanted Palace’ - a multisensory visitor experience combining fashion and live performance to reveal the magnificent state apartments in a magical new light, says Ruth Howlett, Historic Royal Palaces.
The inspiration for the Enchanted Palace lies in independent charity Historic Royal Palaces’ £12 million renovation of Kensington Palace taking place over the next two years. The major project will improve physical access, create new education and community facilities, reconnect the palace with the surrounding park through new public gardens, and introduce exciting exhibitions inspired by the palace’s rich past and unique collections.
Rather than close the palace and deny access to visitors until the project is completed in 2012, Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) seized the opportunity to offer a unique and very different visitor experience during the transition period, aiming to create an immersive, interactive offering that would bring the palace’s fascinating stories to life as never before. HRP teamed up with Cornish theatre company WILDWORKS, and designers Vivienne Westwood, William Tempest, Stephen Jones, Boudicca, Aminaka Wilmont and Echo Morgan, to create a mysterious world within the state apartments.
Visitors are invited to journey through the Enchanted Palace to discover the stories of seven princesses who once lived at Kensington – Mary, Anne, Caroline, Charlotte, Victoria, Margaret and Diana. Dreamlike installations, interactive theatre, soundscapes, film projections, and a series of intriguing clues are woven throughout the palace, revealing tales of love and hate, surprise and sadness, secrets and jealousy.
Guided by whispered voices of servants long gone, visitors climb the backstairs into the state apartments and encounter a gnarled wayfinding tree which points the way to Queen Mary II’s Bedchamber, a luxurious but dark room with a melancholy atmosphere. The room reflects on the importance of producing a dynastic heir. Queen Mary (reigned 1689-1694) had no children, reportedly a great sadness to her, whilst her sister Anne (later Queen Anne 1702-1714) had fourteen pregnancies but none of her babies survived. Aminaka Wilmont created ‘a dress of tears’ for this room, based on the ancient tradition of collecting tears during times of mourning.
In the Privy Chamber, milliner Stephen Jones has produced a number of hats for a stunning installation inspired by the 18th century busts of great philosophers and scientists, in particular referencing Sir Isaac Newton and his law of motion, and evoking themes of the universe and flights of imagination. The King’s Presence Chamber was once a room of absolute royal power, where the monarch came face-to-face with his subjects, received petitions and granted favours. Visitors are now invited to sit in a woollen ‘wishing throne’ knitted by local community groups and voice their own desires.
The King’s Staircase is of truly fairytale proportions, with its winding chequered stone stairs, and walls painted with a vivid depiction of George I’s court. Intriguing characters including the King’s Polish page, Yeomen of the Guard, a giant Scotsman, a ‘wild boy’, various mistresses, and a portrait of the artist himself, William Kent (1685-1748), peer down at those who dare to ascend this grandest of staircases. Vivienne Westwood’s ‘dress for a rebellious princess’ inspired by the spirited Princess Charlotte (1796-1817), daughter of King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, is displayed here.
The lavishly decorated Cupola Room was the principal state room of the palace, with its spectacular clock that sits upon a central dais. Boudicca’s dramatic metalwork sculptures encircle the timepiece, suspended from golden chandeliers. In The Duchess of Kent’s Dressing Room and Anteroom – believed to have been used as a royal nursery – items of children’s clothing from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection are exhibited, including a number of tiny, beautifully crafted baby shoes.
William Tempest’s avant-garde interpretation of a period dress appears in Queen Victoria’s bedroom, where she awoke to the news that she was to inherit the throne. The installation features hundreds of origami birds symbolising Victoria’s new-found freedom and independence. In the King’s Drawing Room, set designer and illustrator Echo Morgan curated a contemporary ‘cabinet of curiosities’ inspired by renowned collectors Queen Mary II and Caroline of Ansbach (1683-1737), queen consort of George II. Also on display is Echo’s ‘dress of the world’, in the style of an 18th century court dress, sculpted in paper and decorated with prints of antique maps.
Dresses belonging to Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess Margaret are displayed in the Council Chamber, which adopts the theme of the joy of dancing – both princesses were patrons of ballet companies. In the Queen’s Gallery a spellbinding finale awaits those who have bravely ventured through the Enchanted Palace. A series of shining mirrors hang on the walls, which may offer a fleeting glimpse of Kensington’s princesses.
WILDWORKS producer Bill Mitchell commented: “We have found the stories of the palace incredibly inspiring. They’re like true fairy tales – the rebellious princess who was so universally loved that, when she died in childbirth, London ran out of black mourning fabric; the little sickly prince who played peashooters with his uncle, the king; the court that kept a wild feral boy as a pet; the young princess who wept for three days when told she had to marry a man twice her age; the two friends who had a quarrel that caused deaths, changed the fortunes of great families and the map of Europe. It’s such rich material for art and theatre – to be exploring these stories in the rooms where they took place is thrilling.”
Each of the installations was carefully assessed by HRP’s team of expert conservators, who worked closely with WILDWORKS and the fashion designers to prepare the exhibits. A number of birch trees and a collection of stuffed rodents had to be frozen for several weeks before going on display to ensure that they were entirely pest-free!
Joanna Marschner, Senior Curator at Kensington Palace, summarises the experience: “Using interactive theatre and contemporary fashion to tell the history of the palace is an exciting experiment for us. We hope it will encourage people to explore the extraordinary lives of Kensington’s former royal residents in a new way. This experience will touch the emotions, as well as providing a feast for the eyes.”
Two further phases of the Enchanted Palace will be unveiled in autumn 2010 and spring 2011. The newly renovated Kensington Palace will open by June 2012.
