Kings, Queens and Princely Palaces – Part 2

Following on from our introduction into the more popular periods for styling your dolls’ house, we’re moving forward from the Tudor realm, which ended with the death of Queen Elizabeth the first in 1603, by about 100 years, to 1714 and the reign of King George.

The Georgian era, spans the period 1714 to 1830 a period which included some of the biggest upheavals in British society ever seen. This era incorporates the fabulous period of the Regency, a time when architecture was grand and opulent. A bit like the Prince Regent’s lifestyle you may say. To drink in Regency style, you can head to Brighton and the amazing pavillions, or take a walk down Regent Street in London, as the name suggests it was built in the time of the regency.

Designed by the architect of the day, John Nash, Regent Street’s gentle curve can by viewed at a leisurely pace to enable you to look up, beyond the modern day shop fronts, where you will find the Regency touches. South of Picadilly Circus, on Lower Regent Street and into Waterloo Place and you will see the magnificent buildings of hotels and private clubs, without the modern twists suffered by the properties further north.  Have a look at The Institute of Directors rooms here for internal inspiration (and view a virtual tour).  If you are lucky enough to ever attend an event there, be sure to enjoy the sweeping staircase and enormous chandelier hanging in the middle of it, just think how some of those rooms (and those chandeliers!) would look in 1:12 scale! Remarkable inspiration.

Whilst Mr Nash was the architect of choice for the Regency period, earlier on in the Georgian period, tastes were simpler and some may say, more refined. The neo-classical designs of the Adam Brothers , John and Robert, were the preferred style for this period. Together they built the ‘Adelphi’ area of London, a small area between The Strand and the river. One of the best remaining examples of their style can be seen at The Royal Society of Arts on John Adam Street. Click here for information on the house, you can take a virtual tour and view a gallery of the rooms, many of which have been decorated to reflect the original Adam’s designs or restored to show the delicate ceiling plaster work and elegance of the pervading ‘Adam’ fireplace in their original forms. On the first Sunday of the month the house is open to the public to view, more details are on the website.

So this little snippet of Georgian period style will hopefully have given you some ideas and pointed you in several directions to develop more research and garner more inspiration. Next week we’ll do our best to do the Victorian Era justice, possibly the most popular of dolls’ house eras. Following that installment we’ll dip our toe in some more modern designs, a growing area of interest for dolls’ house and miniature enthusiasts. We hope you’ll join us.