George IV (1762-1830) was one of the most gifted of all royal patrons. His love of fine objects and his taste for the theatrical and the romantic are well documented. In this pioneering study Hugh Roberts focuses on the King's last and greatest commission: the rebuilding and refurnishing of the Private Apartments at Windsor Castle. Drawing on much previously unpublished material, including royal correspondence, original accounts and detailed inventories, Hugh Roberts reconstructs George IV's ambitious programme of change. Always over budget, and never delivered swiftly enough for his liking, the project was still unfinished at the time of the King's death in 1830. Now, by means of an acute analysis of newly discovered, documents, Hugh Roberts is able to throw light on George IV's often complex relationships with his advisers and with the various architects, artists and craftsmen he favoured, in particular Jeffrey Wyattville, A. C. and A.W.N. Pugin, and Nicholas Morel and George Seddon. Much of the surviving furniture is still in its original setting at Windsor, and it is published here for the first time. Virtually every identified item is illustrated, and there are high-quality re

Author Biography

Hugh Roberts is Director of the Royal Collection and Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art. He was closely involved in the restoration of Windsor Castle after the disastrous fire in 1992.