Paru le 21/09/2011 | Relié sous jaquette 176 pages
Tout public
photography by Francis Hammond | foreword the prince of Wales | preface Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière | introduction Peter Westmacott
The British Ambassador's Residence in Paris is one of the most splendid historic homes in the French capital and the most impressive of all British ambassadorial residences abroad. The author, Tim Knox, charts the stirring story of the house, from its origins as the home of the Ducs de Charost, to its opulent heyday under Napoleon's sister, Pauline Bonaparte, Princess Borghese, much of whose luxurious furniture and decoration survives intact. Since 1814, when Pauline sold the house to the 1st Duke of Wellington, the mansion has served as the residence of successive British Ambassadors to France, who altered the house to suit their taste and character, notably Sir Duff Cooper and his beautiful wife, Lady Diana, whose Empire-style study is still redolent of their brilliant social circle in post-war Paris. This beautiful house in the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, furnished with masterpieces of French Empire furniture and decorative arts, English silver, and paintings by British artists, remains a splendid, but hard-working setting for promoting the Franco-British relationship.
Tim Knox is Director of Sir John Soane's Museum in London. Formerly Head Curator of the National Trust, he regularly lectures and writes on art, architecture, and the history of collecting. His publications include Sir John Soane's Museum, London, numerous country house guidebooks, and articles in Apollo and Country Life. He is the Special Adviser on the designated ambassadorial residences to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Photographer Francis Hammond's publications include Historic Houses of Paris (2010), Elegant Entertaining (2009), and Mariage Frères French Tea: Three Centuries of Savoir-Faire (2004), all published by Flammarion.
