Talk on Cottage Ornes, presented by the Dorset Gardens Trust
The term ‘cottage orné’ suggests to many people Marie Antoinette and her make-believe rural ensemble in the grounds of Versailles. It is in fact an English invention of the earlier 18th century, and arguably the only architectural style that covers the whole social spectrum. It originated in simple buildings for the rural poor and gradually ascended the social ladder, becoming ever more fanciful, until it was adopted not just by aristocrats but also royalty: George IV inevitably had the largest (Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park), while the Tsar had his oxymoronically-named Cottage Palace outside St Petersburg. Roger White, author of the definitive book on the subject (Yale University Press 2017) describes the architecture and social background of the style, with particular reference to surviving examples in Dorset and adjoining counties