Bridge For Design October 15

T
he magnificent Worcester Lodge, a
masterpiece of Palladian architecture by
William Kent, crowns the horizon as one
approaches Badminton from the north. At
the end of the three-mile Great Avenue,
the house looms into view, its twin domes glinting beneath
the fluttering flag of the Duke of Beaufort. The grandeur
of the house and the vast expanse of wooded parkland
surrounding it makes one feel like one has entered a princely
kingdom. Indeed, the Duke of Beaufort are descended from
Edward III’s sons John of Gaunt; hence the appearance of
the quartered arms of England and France on the flag.
Badminton is recorded in the Domesday Book as ‘Madmintune’
and was owned by the Boteler family from 1275 to
1612, when Thomas Somerset, fourth Earl of Worcester,
purchased the manors of Great and Little Badminton. Five
years later, he gave Badminton to his third son, Sir Thomas
Somerset, as a wedding present, and Sir Thomas proceeded
to modernise the old Boteler residence.
The subsequent architectural history of Badminton is far
from straightforward. Like a courtier, the house has changed
its formal attire according to the prevailing fashions of the
day. Sir Thomas incorporated much of the Boteler house
in his alterations. His great nephew Henry Somerset, first
Duke of Beaufort, upgraded the house in keeping with his
new status. The work began in 1664 and was not finished
until 1691. The north front was modelled on Queen
Henrietta Maria’s New Gallery at Somerset House by John
Webb and forms the core of the present north façade. It is
juxtaposed with the lower, pedimented, and hipped - roofed
PREVIOUS PAGE: The north front seen from the park. William Kent added
the wooden cupolas and pediment in the mid-eighteenth century
THIS PAGE: Two grand chandeliers hang from ceiling roses in the library.
Today it is used as the families main sitting room. It is also one of the
rooms refreshed by Tom Parr and Vivien Greenoch of Colefax and Fowler
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