Wren's Remodeling of Hampton Court

Timeline

1. 1689Hampton Court · EnglandDissatisfied with the dampness of Whitehall after their accession, William and Mary ordered the Surveyor of the Royal Works, Wren, to transform Hampton Court into a Baroque palace to rival Versailles. In May 1689 the Tudor private apartments were demolished and the foundations of the Fountain Court excavated; the work proceeded too fast, and in December of that year the south wing collapsed, causing casualties among the workmen, after which construction slowed and mortar and supervision were strengthened.
2. 1690–1694Fountain Court, Hampton Court · EnglandBetween 1690 and 1694 the King's and Queen's apartments around the Fountain Court and the east and south fronts rose in succession, with an Ionic colonnade added on the Clock Court side. The red-brick and white-stone facades, continuous arcades, and large windows clearly drew on the new wing at Versailles. By spring 1694 the brick-and-stone shell of the new quadrangle was complete, though interior decoration remained unfinished.
3. 1694–1700Hampton Court · EnglandMary died in December 1694 and the project nearly halted, leaving the new buildings as little more than empty shells. After the Nine Years' War ended, William resumed the interior work in the late 1690s; Grinling Gibbons's woodcarving, Verrio's murals, and Tijou's ironwork were installed in turn, and the King's apartments became a livable Baroque ceremonial space. Though Wren's scheme never fully replaced the Tudor palace, it established Hampton Court's dual character thereafter.