Alexander Palace interiors

[meg kees]

Mark - I first read N&A back in the late 1960's when it was first published.  My current copy is a hard back that I purchased in1972.  I was just laughing the other day when I came home because I went to look something up and the book is literally falling appart.  Guess it's time to by a new one.  When the Tsar looked out of his study, he would have been viewing the courtyard area, not the street, so his side of the building was much more private than that of Alexandra's. That really surprised me.  I guess I wonder why they choose that wing  and not the other to redecorate when they moved there in 1895 since the other wing is so much more secluded. When the family was out on the balcony, they must have attracted considerable attention.

[nerdycool]

I don't know.... maybe there was some concern about redecorating certain rooms in the other wing. More specifically those of Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna, and Maria Alexandrovna's room. Still being alive, perhaps Minnie had a say on whether she got to keep her rooms or not. Or maybe N&A just wanted to avoid all the red tape and take the other wing to make their own, which involved making rooms out of the concert hall.

[Donny]

Meg and friends:

If you look at many of the photos taken on the balcony of the Ap, you notice that there is often a folding screen that would tend to shield the family from being  observed by the public on the sidewalk.

[meg kees]

I guess I need to look more closely at those pictures on the balcony, because I never paid much attention to the backgrounds.

[BobG]

Does anyone know where on the floorplan were the Bedroom of Marie, the Crimsom Reception Room, the Study of Alexander III and the Stag Room. What are there numbers???

There hasn't been any response to this request, and I too would love to get a better sense of exactly where these rooms are located.  The State Museum 'Tzarskoje Selo'  has a numbered floorplan of the entire Alexander Palace and it would be great if one of the palace historians could identify where these rooms are on the plan.  Thanks so much.

[helenazar]

Both og these images are appearing only half way, I wonder if I am the only one who is experiencing that? I would like to see these pictures...

Helen

I thought it might be interesting to see Alexandra's Mauve Boudoir chair corner, as original and as "restored" today. Thanks Antonio for the 2003 picture from the Palace.

[Forum Admin]

Helen
they work fine for us...

[BobAtchison]

Thomas I have never seen a picture of the downstairs Imperial corridor.  I imagine this is possibly because it was too dark - even during the day for Kodak photography.

It had some great paintings and Nicholas had the walls encrusted in artificial marble taken from the destruction of the Music Hall.  It must have been very luxurious and pretty.  I hope a picture will turn up sometime.

Bob

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Well, here is the only photo i took of the corridor. It´s taken from the Empress´ Reception room´s door. To the left is the door of Nichola´s New Study.

[Janet_W.]

Antonio, you are--as always--amazing in what you provide for the rest of us! What a fascinating photo of the corridor. It gives me the chills! For many of us the world of Nicholas and Alexandra is very abstract, and we generally have only black-and-white photos to fill in those abstractions . . . but your photos establish the reality of these locations. I'm sure many of us can look at this most recently posted photo and imagine Alexandra sweeping by in one of her tea dresses, or the children giggling and running . . .  when they really should be walking, of course! Many thanks for all of your efforts.

[Antonio_P.Caballer]

Thanks so much for your kind words, Janet .
As you said, this is too oftenly a black and white world. Many times i´d love it would remain that way, for confronting the reality of today is quite heartbreaking...

By the way, i didn´t like at all the showcase with uniforms, and think the corridor should be better without it.

[BobAtchison]

That's a great picture, Antonio!  For those of us who have been there you can really see the lower ceiling of the corridor extension there.  The ceiling almost feels too low.

These two new rooms here - The Maple Room and the New Study - were meant to receive guests.  One can see in your picture how they could be closed off from the rest of the corridor where the more personal rooms were.  Since guests would have approached through the libraries they would have rounded the corner and entered here with doors to the Emperor and Empress on either side and the corridor could be closed off.

Bob

[NAAOTMA]

Wonderful to see this corridor in color, but sad to see the glass case, fire extinguisher and drab linoleum floor. Hopefully someday this will be the "before" picture used to "tell the story" of a beautifully done restoration of the Alexander Palace. Melissa K.

[gem_10]

Hello everyone! Do you have any photos of Ella's room in the palace? Can you please post them? Thanks

[Forum Admin]

This thread is simply getting too large to be useful.
SO, I am going to ask this thread be reserved for GENERAL questions about the interiors.
Specific questions like this one re: Ella's rooms be started and/or answered as NEW topics outside this thread.
Thanks for cooperating.
FA