Lot 216: William Parrott (b. 1813; fl. 1835-1875)

View of Alexandra Palace
indistinctly signed and inscribed 'View of Alexandra Palace on the Hill / before the Fire William Parrott' under the reline on the reverse
oil on canvas
15 3/4 x 27 5/8 in. (40 x 70.2 cm.)

This remarkable view shows Alexandra Palace, the exhibition space which was opened in May 1873 as a North London counterpart to Crystal Palace, and survived only 16 days before being destroyed by fire - allegedly due to a coal falling from a workman's brazier. The inscription on the picture's reverse commends the fact that it was executed 'before the fire', and thereby gives due weight to the gravitas of the situation and the picture's importance as an historical record. It is difficult to date precisely, as the building had been in existence since 1862, but is most likely to have been executed as a commission to celebrate the Palace's inauguration.

Alexandra Palace was rebuilt, under the auspices of the private company which owned it, by architects Meeson and Johnson. It was reopened in 1875; its seven acre girth encompassing a concert room, reading room, and theatre as well as offices; a racecourse and Japanese 'village' providing entertainment in the grounds.

It was in 1936, however, that the Palace's most revolutionary metamorphosis was instigated, when part of it was acquired by the BBC. The world's first television transmitter was erected, and on 26 August 1936 Here's Looking at You, a variety show introduced by Leslie Mitchell, went out on air. Alexandra Palace remained the home of BBC television until 1956 when the corporation relocated to White City.

Parrott's meticulous style owes something to his training under John Pye, an engraver, and he contributed 12 topographical designs to a volume of lithographs published in 1844-5 called London from the Thames. Other panoramic oil views include After Montem, Eton (1849; Fairhaven Collection) and Figures promenading outside Somerset House, St Pauls's Cathedral beyond (Christie's, London, 7 June 1996, lot 586).

Parrott's extensive European travels inspired his most famous compositions such as A Fair in the Champs Elysée, Paris (1851; Christie's, London, 12 June 2001, lot 12) and Peace in Naples, Francis II at the Festival of Piedigrotte in Villa Reale, Naples, 7 Sept 1859 (Christie's, London, 11 June 2002, lot 121). These paintings combine documentary facility with a spirit of celebration.

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