Osterley House, located in Islesworth, West London, is a spectacular mansion that showcases neoclassical design at its best. First built in the 1570s as a Tudor manor house, Scottish architect, Robert Adam, was commissioned in 1761 to give the home a neoclassical makeover. A pioneer of fashionable neoclassicism at the time, Adam was heavily inspired by Greek, Roman and Etruscan design and his trendsetting work soon became known as the “Adam Style”. In particular, Adam favoured rich colour schemes, geometric shapes, and classical motifs, which he melded together with elegance and symmetry. Indeed, nowhere showcases Adam Style better than Osterley House where his legacy still lives on today.
The Grand Entrance Hall
One of Osterly’s most impressive rooms is the grand entrance hall, which features extravagant wall and ceiling panels, along with beautiful, large semi-circle alcoves, one at each opposite end of the room. The hall, like most rooms on the estate, is heavily influenced by ancient Greek and Roman architecture. For example, it’s home to several large, marble antiques, whereas the stucco wall panels also depict ancient combat scenes. Adam also stuck to a white and grey colour scheme, which adds to the room’s elegance. Notably, in the past, the entrance hall served as a space to welcome guests and host parties, balls, and dinners. In fact, you may even recognize it as the backdrop to a few scenes from Bridgerton, the hit Netflix show set in the Regency era.
The Tapestry Room
You also won’t want to miss a tour of the stunning Tapestry Room and its original French Gobelins wall tapestries. Although these magnificent tapestries date back to 1775, they’ve been immaculately preserved and are still rich in colour, primarily reds and golds. They were designed by Francois Boucher and portray the “Loves of the Gods” — a design that took him four years to finish. The room also has eight armchairs and a sofa that were specially upholstered to match the tapestries. Look up at the ceiling, and you’ll also see the central medallion is a detailed depiction of “The Dedication of a Child to Minerva”. The four smaller medallions also feature detailed paintings — all of them were initially painted onto canvas-backed paper and placed in stucco frames on the ceiling.
Notably, Adam also decorated several other rooms across the UK in a similar fashion complete with original Gobelins tapestries. Over time, his unique and trendy neoclassical eye for design became increasingly popular and his client roster grew full with both aristocracy and royalty right up until his death in 1792. Today, Adam is buried at another one of London’s architectural masterpieces: the gothic church of Westminster Abbey. His grave lies in the abbey’s south transept and is located next to the graves of Scottish poet, James Macpherson, and architect, Sir William Chambers.
The Etruscan Dressing Room
The Etruscan dressing room is another highlight at Osterley as it beautifully showcases Adam’s use of ancient Italian architectural design. “[The room’s] painted all over like Wedgwood’s ware, with black and yellow small grotesques”, English writer, art historian, and friend of Adam, Horace Walpole humorously commented in 1778. Notably, during the 18th century, the word “etruscan” was most commonly associated with classical etruscan vases that originate from ancient Greece. Adam himself was a huge fan of Sir William Hamilton’s collection of Greek and Roman pottery, which he admired during his time in Europe (1754-58) — and this is certainly what inspired his design of the room as plenty of details replicate this antique style. The furniture, on the other hand, is original Chippendale.
The Etruscan dressing room also exemplifies beauty in imperfection. Adam first sketched his wall designs on paper, then transferred them to canvas, and stuck them to the walls before finally painting them on. Yet, if you look closely, you’ll see some of the design is incomplete and some of the initial pencil marks still remain.
Osterley House is one of London’s hidden gems and a glorious example of early neoclassical design and, in particular, the innovative style of Robert Adam. Full of numerous beautiful and intricately-designed rooms and hallways, Osterley House is certainly one of the city’s most magnificent architectural landmarks and always worth a visit.