Kensington Palace - the Enchanted Palace

After a leisurely breakfast we set off in R’s car for the station, paying a staggering £6 for the privilege of parking for the day - still cheaper than a taxi later. Our destination was Kensington Palace, so we emerged onto Kensington High Street at coffee time, according to the men. We found Caffe Concerto across the road and weren’t disappointed. Excellent coffee and some spectacular cakes were enjoyed in very pleasant surroundings.


Out on the High Street again, we strolled along past the Royal Garden Hotel and into Kensington Gardens. At the end of one path, the front of Kensington Palace beckoned, but this wasn’t the entrance we needed, so we followed the signs that took us around the right side, past Queen Victoria to the Sunken Garden. This formal garden with it’s central lake is looking very beautiful just now with the beds a riot of colour from the spring planting. We saw a coot on its nest, built in a box on a life belt. Above the gates into the garden were the swirling logos of the current exhibition in the palace, the Enchanted Palace.

It was now time to go and see for ourselves what it was all about. Kensington Palace is undergoing a huge refurbishment - £12 million. It will be completed for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June 2012. In the meantime, the Enchanted Palace exhibition is quite an experience taking the visitor into all the available rooms. Shades of what was to come can be seen in the photos at the entrance, but no photos are allowed inside. As we entered the exhibition and took the stairs up to the first floor, we were fascinated by the graffiti that covers the walls all the way up to the appropriately named Room of Beginnings with its tree signpost pointing us on our way in search of the seven princesses and the amazing designs that have been matched with them. When we arrived in the Room of Enlightenment we loved the display of Stephen Jones’ Hats and the associations with the learned men in this room – Newton being at the centre. The steward seated at the high desk was so informative, we could hardly move on, but all very interesting. We moved on through the rooms and eventually came to the Gallery of War and Play where you can see the wonderful wind dial over the fireplace. At the far end, hundreds of toy soldiers have been laid out and visiting children can play skittles with them, and the tireless stewards are there to replace them in serried ranks. As we chatted to one such steward, we were accosted by a ‘squad’ of strange guardians dressed in long sweeping grey tunics. They had a misshapen toy soldier in outsized tweezers – what to do? they asked and we entered into a bizarre scenario that culminating in the soldier being quarantined up the chimney and our suggesting they contact Dr. Who for advice! You can imagine the crazy Dr. Who conversation that went on!
We continued on to find the last remaining princesses and their stories before returning to the Room of Beginnings and taking the final door into the Room of Fish and Beer, the Room of Quarrels and lastly the Gallery of Dancing Shadows – all sorts of strange stories to be told and amazing facts to be discovered. We descended the final staircase to the ground floor again and the Shop, seeking some postcards or souvenirs of this fabulous exhibition, but nothing is available, more’s the pity. It just remains a mystery unless you visit it yourself.

So, having only had our morning coffee, it was now time for afternoon tea in Queen Anne’s Orangery. This is a lovely proportioned building away to the side of the palace, and we dutifully waited to be seated inside. A pile of scones and plates laden with delicious looking cakes tempted us from the central serving table, but when we saw the menu, we went for set afternoon teas, not individual cakes. A and I chose the rather pricey Enchanted Palace Tea that included tea with chocolate chips in it; D went for the Signature Orange Tea; and R had a scone with cream and jam. All were outstanding with their tiered cake stands and individual pots of tea with strainers. What fun!

After this indulgence we decided to take the walk across to the Princess Diana Fountain that none of us had visited before. It was a bit of a disappointment initially, but after walking around it, it is quite clever with its shaped waterways, imparting all sorts of different currents to the water as it swirls around the structure. Each area has a different water sound depending on how it is being moved – from gentle babbling to the splashing over the waterfall and the bubbling out of the holes. We walked on along the shores of the Serpentine watching the wildlife and taking in the views across the water with the various boats, swimming areas and reflections. By now it was time to catch the tube back to Waterloo for the train home, leaving D & R to dine with cousins in town.