Monday 5 May 2008

Kenwood House


Bank holiday weekend, with more-or-less decent weather (meaning it is not pouring rain) so out to London to visit Kenwood House. 
One wonders what kind of plant could survive in those rooms with a 4 meter high ceiling and tall, but very narrow windows. (Alas, I still have to find a decent book on the social history of indoor gardening in order to find answers to this type of questions.) Compared with those of a Dutch stadthuis of the same period, whose diffused and copious light reminds one of Pieter Saenredam's paintings of church interiors, the rooms in Kenwood House fare rather poorly. Is this difference cause or effect of the British genius for outdoor gardening, and of the Dutch quiet love of indoor plants?

A nice orangerie in Kenwood House, though- perfectly aligned with the South, not too big to look like part of a commercial enterprise, not too small to be only cute. Also, symmetrically placed at the other end of the building from the library. Plants and books- what more could the Earl ask for? 

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