Moskovskoye Highway, 23, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 196601
The summer house of Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich is an estate in the Art Nouveau style, built in 1896–1897 by the London firm "Maple" under the direction of architects Sherborne and Scott. The third building of the complex — the spare house — was erected in 1899 according to a design by von Hogen. The dacha is located at: Pushkin city, Moskovskoye Highway, 11. It is the first Art Nouveau style house in St. Petersburg. The structure embodies new principles of architectural organization, in contrast to eclecticism. Currently, the complex belongs to the Institute of Plant Breeding.
The estate complex, including the main house, service buildings, and garden, is situated near the Colonist Pond. This plot of land in the Separate Park was owned by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. The dacha was a gift to his son Boris on his twentieth birthday, possibly from his godmother — Queen Victoria. Construction began in 1896, and in spring 1897 Russian architects inspected the dacha, as reported at a meeting of the St. Petersburg Society of Architects. It was noted that much in this house was "new in its methods and inconsistent with the methods of Russian builders." The new architectural style in Britain was developing under the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement, whose participants relied on historically established canons and drew inspiration from medieval craftsmen. It was from this era that the traditions of private house construction were transferred.
The names of the architects who built the estate in 1896–1897 were named by von Hogen in December 1898; both worked for the royal family. Sherborne (or Sherbon) with the firm "Maple" was responsible for the interiors of the Alexander Palace. Scott was also an architect of this firm; later (1898–1899) under his direction, the personal rooms in the palace of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich in St. Petersburg were decorated.
The estate complex consists of the main palace house, the stable wing (both built simultaneously in 1896–1897), and the spare house, constructed according to von Hogen’s design in 1899.
The main house stands in a specially landscaped garden, where shrubs, coniferous and deciduous trees are planted; there is a fountain, flower beds, and paths of various configurations. An alley of thuja trees leads from the pond to the house entrance. The house has an L-shaped plan; the service and main wings are connected by a passage. The lower floor features exposed brickwork, while the facade on the second floor is roughcast plaster; the plinth is made of limestone. The central axis of the facade is slightly recessed. The walls are topped with half-timbered gables of intricate design and various shapes: triangular and trapezoidal. The roof is multi-pitched and tiled. The combination of different volumes stands out overall; the entire composition is designed considering that the building can be viewed from different angles. It recalls Tudor-era architecture; it is possible that Sherborne and Scott were inspired by buildings with "decorative half-timbering" by architect Shaw, as well as works by the famous contemporary — Art Nouveau master Bailey Scott. In the latter’s projects, the rhythmic structure of the building is also formed by alternating gables of various shapes, projections of three-sided lanterns from the facade plane; the half-timbered pattern is diverse, combining straight and curved elements; surfaces of exposed brickwork alternate with decorative plaster. Like Bailey Scott’s works, the dacha’s facades are pierced by wide horizontal windows. These wide windows without casings alternate with narrow ones; window openings are shifted relative to the symmetry axes, related to the internal layout of the building, which further enlivens the facades. The upper parts of the windows are finely glazed, yet they are almost devoid of decoration. The wooden porch columns are decorated with carvings. The main house’s hall, like a traditional English mansion, is two-tiered with a large stained glass window.
The building’s elements are unified into a system by large, clearly accentuated volumes, smooth facade planes, and a clearly readable overall silhouette. The structural principles of the building’s construction are revealed by the contrast of color and texture, the clear graphic pattern of the half-timbering, with emphasis on the aesthetic and constructive features inherent to each material. Overall and in details, the building was a novelty for St. Petersburg architecture, while in Britain such houses were common. The staircase, leading to the second-floor balcony, starts in the hall; corridors are absent. The original interiors have been partially preserved: wooden wall panels, columns and ceiling panels decorated with carvings, marble fireplaces, embossed wallpaper have survived to this day. The stable wing repeats the forms of the main house in a simpler version. Here appears a small clock tower crowning the building, again reminiscent of Bailey Scott’s works. The external wooden staircase and balcony, the gable, and the tiled roof covering have not survived.
In 1899, the spare house was built according to von Hogen’s design. It repeats the techniques of the first estate buildings: half-timbering, gables topping the facade walls, tiles, walls made of red brick, windows elongated in width. But von Hogen’s building has a more complex volumetric-spatial structure, with an added round tower housing a staircase. The facade was originally pierced by a horseshoe-shaped arch, later bricked up. The eastern part of the spare house was allocated for carriage facilities, while the western part housed a garage and chauffeur’s apartment. The second floor contained living rooms. Although the spare house had a practical purpose, it looks more elegant than the main cottage.
The dacha served as a model for country houses in the so-called "Anglo-Saxon style" and gave rise to the neo-romantic trend in St. Petersburg Art Nouveau architecture. It is known that at the request of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, buildings in Tsarskoye Selo were executed in this style.
The estate "played" the role of Ronald Adair’s house in the film "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson" in the episode "The Tiger Hunt." In the episode "Deadly Game," we see its interiors as a hotel in Meiringen. For comparison: here is Watson ringing the doorbell of Adair’s house. By the way, Watson tries to ring a light switch.
It can be noticed that this is the same door as in the Meiringen hotel, only from the outside.
In the film, it is visible that the wall under the poster, which tells about the beauties of the Reichenbach Falls, is covered with fabric. The fact is that at this very place a marble plaque with the names of Institute employees who gave their lives for the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War has long been affixed.
Sources:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacha_of_Grand_Duke_Boris_Vladimirovich
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