Designer, Tim Gosling, revealed his lucky glimpse from the inside of the newly restored Kings Drawing Room, Kensington Palace while reporting for the Home and Property supplement of London's Evening Standard, March 4th. He witnessed the replica gilded chandeliers being lifted into place on the William Kent ceiling with pullies where the original chandeliers had once hung. Amazingly the original mechanism to raise and lower the chandeliers used to once restock the candles, unlike the chandeliers themselves, remains in place. It was just updated for the increased weight of the new LED replicas.
 
The space had been empty for a long time and unfortunately no-one knows what happened to the originals. Speculation is that they could have been sold in palace conservatory barrow 'car boot' style sales. The original chandeliers can be seen in all their glory in an illustration done during the reign of King George III. The decision to replace the lost chandeliers with replicas was made during the recent restoration to return Kensington Palace to the 1720s, the period of King George I. Craftsperson, Ray Dudman of W Thomas Restorations created the four gilded replicas.
 
Tim says, 'The chandeliers were the missing link that now makes sense of William Kent’s extraordinary designs for the Drawing Room’s painted ceiling.' So when the palace reopens to the public it seems it would be well worth a visit. Kensington Palace is in West London and visitor hours are normally Monday to Sunday: 10:00 to 18:00 but see their website for the latest visitor information.
 
As well as being a popular visitor destination Kensington Palace is also the official residence of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children. I am sure that the Duke and Duchess, Kate and William will have enjoyed viewing the palace restoration work. Kate is known for her love of antiques. She has been spotted out and about at antique markets.
 
The Duchess of Cambridge, a talented photographer, is patron of the Royal Photographic Society and to mark Holocaust Day, 2020, her own moving images of Auschwitz survivors provided a rare glimpse of the antiques inside Kate and William's own Kensington Palace drawing room. On view in the images was a stone fireplace, wooden floorboards and an old wall radiator. It seems their chosen decor includes original features and architectural antiques. This is maybe not such a surprise after Kate's 'Back to Nature' garden design, at last years's Chelsea Flower Show, included reclaimed wood from Salvo Code member, Ashwells Reclaimed Timber.
 
Images show just a few of the antique and reclaimed chandeliers to light up your own life from the Salvo online marketplace for architectural salvage and antiques. Antique and reclaimed chandeliers can range from simple styles to suit any interior to the grander statement pieces. Some fully renovated and some not. All of the chandelier images shown here are from Salvo Code members. Look for the Crane logo for a dealer you can trust to follow good buying and selling practices.
 
Images of the restoration cannot be shown for copyright purposes but simply click the link to see the full Homes and Property article below which includes images of the restored King's drawing room. Plus a there is a link to the handy buying and reusing antique lighting guide written by Salvo founder, Thornton Kay in 2013.
 
Note: both Kensington Palace, under 'Places to Visit' and fine carving and gilt specialists, W Thomas Restorations, under 'Craftspeople' can be found in the Salvo online directory.