Guidebook: Apsley House
Apsley House was once the home of the 1st Duke of Wellington. The house has been a national shrine to the victor of Waterloo almost from the day the duke bought it in 1817, two years after the battle.The original house was built by Robert Adam between 1771 and 1778 for Henry Bathurst, 1st Baron Apsley. In 1807 he sold the house to Marquess Wellesley, older brother of Wellington. In 1817, Wellington bought the lease and employed Benjamin Dean Wyatt to enlarge and remodel the house. Although Wyatt’s alterations were extensive, parts of Adam’s design and decoration are still visible today.Over the next 35 years, the duke filled his London home with trophies, paintings and portraits illustrating his achievements. Many of Wellington’s own visitors felt that his house looked more like a museum than a home. The collection comprises nearly 3,000 paintings, sculptures and works of art, including works by Velázquez, Goya and Correggio.This revised edition of the guidebook is published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. New carpets have been laid in the house, based on contemporary watercolours, the basement gallery has been refurbished and the dining table has been set up in the Waterloo Gallery and dressed for the anniversary banquet. The guidebook includes a biography of Wellington and a tour and history of the house, illustrated with brand new photographs, a new cutaway drawing of the house and a new selection of historical images.