Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo before the Revolution 

Imperial family had a much worse fate, in many ways.

Thank you dear friend Natasha for your kind words. Google is very good today! These wonderful photographs deserve a heavy weight such as Rachmaninoff. I am really happy you enjoyed this video. Have a lovely day! Nigel

Thank you Fran. You're most welcome!

Tom Zike Tom, thank you so much for your really great comment. I am really pleased that you enjoy these videos I make. You are, of course, correct in your assumption - this wonderful piece by Rachmaninov was played by the great man himself. Nigel

Я хочу поблагодарить вас Ирина за ваш прекрасный комментарий. Ваши слова меня очень ободряют. Желаю хорошего празднования Пасхи. С наилучшими пожеланиями. Найджел

@@NigelFowlerSutton Музыка Рахманинова просто Божественно прекрасна! И достойное исполнение, глубоко прочувствованное. Музыкальное сопровождение делает это видео ещё интереснее и содержательнее. Облик дворца прекрасен. Большое спасибо за любовь к русскому искусству и России, за уважение к её истории.

Good morning Louise. Thank you for your visit and lovely comment. You are. always, most welcome! Warm salutations. Nigel

The Lividia Palace in the Crimea on the Black Sea.

Mila Raido Мила, спасибо большое. Я рад, что вам понравилось мое последнее видео. Мне очень нравится этот дворец, и я рад, что восстановление продолжается. Найджел

...Certainly the palace does not have a "regal" look about the firnishings. The Victorian taste must have influenced Alexandra very much.

@@NigelFowlerSutton She was Victoria's granddaughter, and actually lived with her as a child.

Thank you so much Elena. Nigel

Surprisingly, apart from the personal possessions of the Emperor and Imperial family, the palace was spared. Not long after the Romanovs were resettled in Tobolsk, Siberia, the palace was turned into a museum. The museum operated until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in 1941when most of the valuable furnishings were evacuated to the interior of the country. Many of the objects were hidden in the basement. During the Nazi German occupation, the palace was used as headquarters for the German military command. The area in front of the palace was turned into a cemetery for SS soldiers!! As the Nazis were retreating from the Soviet Union, many of the nearby palaces were looted and destroyed. Fortunately Alexander Palace was spared and was used as a repository for artworks coming back from the interior. At the end of the War, plans were put in lace to return Alexander Palace to being a museum. This came to nothing and later the building was handed over to the Soviet Navy. Many of the palace's former collections still existed and the decision was made to place them in other nearby museums...... So there you have it....! Warm greetings! Nigel

@@NigelFowlerSutton After the renovations of the palace are completed, will the collections and possessions be moved back to the Alexander Palace?

@@emallace447 They did move a lot of these items in yes.

@@emallace447 They have other museums of the imperial family as well, and occasional exhibitions, so these items are scattered throughout the country. I hope someone is keeping track!

Neverov Sergey bayan Это мое удовольствие Сергей. Спасибо за просмотр! Найджел

I suppose, that icons are very personal, religious paintings that belonged to each and every member of the Imperial family. The State Rooms are used for state entertaining etc and therefore no icons would be on display (I guess!)

You are most welcome!

...and thanks Marco for your visit.

Hi. To answer your question - I have not seen good clarity photographs of the Yusopov Palace in St. Petersburg taken before the Revolution to make a video presentation. I have seen pictures of the Yusopov Palace in Moscow before 1917. I shall do some research and see what I can come up with. Cheers! Nigel

Nigel Fowler Sutton brilliant thanks nigel

and still reverberates to this day

Hi Tom, I will direct you to this website, which seems to be the moist informative on the Alexander Palace - www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/ Nigel

PLEASE give us lot MORE TIME really study each photo !!! You are presenting us with such beauty let us ENjOY IT !!!!!!!

Thy had very Victorian tastes.

Tout le contraire du bling bling! Des trésors en peintures, meubles...etc... Visiblement vous ne connaissez rien à l art et surtout à l histoire ! 😂

......and what about Poland?

They had a hunting lodge in Poland.

Por causa da música, o vídeo foi tornado "Não disponível em alguns dispositivos"

Nigel Fowler Sutton ah, tá ok! Que pena que não está disponível no meu dispositivo, amoo esse vídeo!!!!!

Its typical of its time... Victorian Stately homes and palaces were also cluttered!

“Stuffed with memorabilia” well it is a house 😅

It was the Victorian Era. Too much of everything crowding the rooms.