Full disclosure: the list of “places Regina wants to visit
next time she goes to England” only gets longer with each Regency I write. When
I was researching for Never Envy an Earl,
I wanted Gregory, the hero, to have a wonderful country estate, which he helped
design. That’s when I stumbled upon the perfect model: Osterley Park.
Osterley Park is an estate to the west of London. It was
built (okay, remodeled) for the Child family, which founded Child’s Bank, by
the incomparable Robert Adam. Now, you may have seen a ceiling here, a room
there designed by this amazing architect, but the entire house was his canvas
in this case, and it shows.
While dubbed a Georgian structure (it was finished in the
late 1700s), the turrets at each corner remind me of a castle. I love the
entrance, up a set of broad steps and through ionic columns into a central
courtyard.
Inside, the rooms are all richly decorated, with fanciful
plasterwork, old masters framed with yards of gilt, tapestry on wall and chair,
and so much gold!
The Childs didn’t enjoy the house long before it passed into
the hands of a granddaughter who married George Villiers, fifth earl of Jersey.
His wife would become the famous Lady Jersey, a doyen of society and one of the
patronesses of Almack’s.
Osterley Park is currently operated by the National Trust.
It can be reached easily by bus, train, or underground. Learn more at the park's website.
Photo credit for Osterley Park in spring: Mark Percy
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