Well, who knew we had such a treasure on our doorstep?! Thank you Jane for organising such a fascinating visit to Camden Place on Sunday 16 April. Following a lively talk on the personalities and history of the house, we were treated to a guided tour where we could look in more detail at some of the treasures mentioned in the talk.
Built on land originally owned by William Camden, Camden Place is now a grade II* listed building which, since 1894, has been the magnificent home of Chislehurst Golf Club. It is not generally open to the public. The building is of architectural and historic importance. The early 18th century house was transformed into a Georgian mansion by architects George Dance and designer James ‘Athenian’ Stuart. In the 1860’s it was then refurbished as a French chateau, complete with a new dining room with panelling from the Chateau de Bercy. It has been described as ‘probably the best French interior in England’. Whether planned in advance or through the generosity of friends, Camden Place became the home of the French Court in exile in 1870, the home of Napoleon III, the Empress Eugenie and their son Louis, the Prince Imperial. Queen Victoria and Tsar Alexander ll are amongst those who visited Camden Place. The funeral processions of both Napoleon lll who died at the house in 1873 and then his son in 1879, attracted thousands who came to pay their respects. Chislehurst’s Imperial connection continues today with monuments at the local church and on Prince Imperial Way as well as in its street names and telephone dialling code, 467 corresponds to the previous letter based code: IMP for Imperial!
A big thank you to our volunteer guides and to Jane Verity who organised the trip.