Abstract

Kenwood House was currently undergoing a major phase of repairs, redecoration and re-appraisal. This provided the ideal opportunity to look at the interior decorative finishes of the
house in selected main areas of the ground floor and to perhaps link through series of rooms to provide some rationale in the presentation of the spaces. The Entrance Hall, Great
Stairs, Anteroom to Library and Library are generally presented as it is currently believed that they appeared when Adam completed the house in the 1770’s. This research exercise
focuses on this suite of 4 interiors which potentially would offer a rational route through the most complete Adam spaces, commencing with the main Entrance Hall and culminating
within the Library, which is considered by many to be Robert Adam’s masterpiece of interiors.

At the time of this research commencing, the interiors did not present a cohesive, informed presentation. The Entrance Hall was redecorated at the end of last century based on the
research of Helen Hughes and recoded within documentation dating from 1996. It was not know if the current schemes within the remaining interiors, were based on any research or
archival investigations. It was felt that further research was required looking at all four of these interiors as a ‘suite’. The proposed redecoration and representation of the house and its
interiors, presented an ideal opportunity to look closely at these spaces as a unified route through the house. It was also considered that an awareness of the previous decorative
history might provide guidance on a more informed and suitable redecoration and perhaps unification of the spaces into a cohesive suite of interiors.

This findings report records the evidence for each interior, primarily looking at the evidence for the original Adam schemes and compares that evidence to the current ‘Adamesque’ style
decoration.

Within this first document the Entrance Hall has not been included. The previous research defined extensive physical and archival evidence for the Adam scheme. The accuracy of the
recreation at the end of last century is to be appraised