stands the new palace, commenced for George III., under the direction
of the late James Wyatt, Esq. The north front, the only part open to
public inspection, possesses an air of solemn, sullen grandeur; but it
very ill accords with the taste and science generally displayed by its
nominal architect.

To quote the words of a contemporary, "this Anglo-Teutonic,
castellated, gothized structure must be considered as an abortive
production, at once illustrative of bad taste and defective judgment.
From the small size of the windows and the diminutive proportion of
its turrets, it would seem to possess

"'Windows that exclude the light,
And passages that lead to nothing.'"

Upon the unhappy seclusion of the _royal_ architect, the works were
suspended, and it now remains unfinished. Censure and abuse have,
however, always been abundantly lavished on its architecture, whether
it be the result of royal caprice or of professional study; but the
taste of either party deserves to be taxed with its demerits.

The northern front was intended to be appropriated to the use of
domestics; the whole building is rendered nearly indestructible by
fire, by means of cast-iron joists and rafters, &c., certainly in this
case an unnecessary precaution, since the whole pile is shortly to be
pulled down. The foundation, too, is in a bog close to the Thames,
and the principal object in its view is the dirty town of Brentford,
on the opposite side of the river; a selection, it would seem, of
_family_ taste, for George II. is known to have often said,
when riding through Brentford, "I do like this place, it's so like