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What work did Christopher Wren do at Kensington Palace for William III and Mary II?
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Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren, detail of an oil painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1711; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
In 1689, William III and Mary II commissioned Christopher Wren to reconstruct and enlarge the building then known as Nottingham House, which became Kensington Palace.123
Because the monarchs disliked Whitehall Palace, they sought a more suitable residence. Wren’s work on the project involved a piecemeal conversion of the existing house, which included the addition of new courts and galleries. While the resulting composition is not considered entirely satisfactory, the south front remains a notable example of his brickwork. The construction was carried out rapidly to satisfy Queen Mary’s desire to move in, a pace that unfortunately led to a fatal accident when some of the new work collapsed during the building process.12