Duchess of Kent’s Mausoleum

The design of this mausoleum is a frilly, light-hearted version of Bramante’s Tempietto of San Pietro in Montorio. The dome has a coronet of small columns and a fringe of acroteria, the frieze is embellished with swags, the balustrade is replaced by a series of urns, and the Ionic order was used instead of the Doric one. Standing on a small man-made knoll, this building would be a charming addition to any country park.

Architect

Ludwig Gruner; construction supervised by A J Humbert

Style

--

Listing

Grade I (England and Wales)

Year built

1859

History

Victoria Mary Louisa, Duchess of Kent (1786-1861) was the mother of Queen Victoria. In 1859, after the death of her brother, Duke Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg (who, as it happens, was Prince Albert’s father), the Duchess asked if she might be buried in the mausoleum that had been erected for him at Coburg. When told this was impracticable, she asked Prince Albert to build a mausoleum for her in the grounds of Frogmore House. Work started straightaway, the building being designed in such a way that it could be used initially as a summerhouse. This did not happen, however, since the Duchess died in 1861 just before it was finished.

Condition

Not known but probably good

Sources

BoE: Berks (1966), 293;

H Colvin, Architecture and the After-Life (1991), 344, fig.329;

J S Curl, The Victorian Celebration of Death (2000) 226-7;

VCH: Berks (1972), 3, 5;

Frogmore House and the Royal Mausoleum (1999) 37-8.

Links

Related Articles/Publications

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