Apsley House, and Museum of Wellington - perfectly preserved residence of the winner of Napoleon. It is located in the south-east corner of Hyde Park and overlooks the side facade area of ​​Hyde Park Corner.

The building was erected in 1771-78 years by the architect Robert Adam for Lord Apsley (hence the name). In 1807, a house bought by Richard Marquis Wellesley, but financial difficulties forced him to sell the residence of his famous younger brother, the Duke of Wellington.

Duke invited for the reconstruction of the building of the architect Benjamin Dean Wyatt. He first extended residence in the north-east, and after 1828 Wellington became prime minister, said Empire-style gable, beautiful staircase and "gallery of Waterloo."

This gallery could not appear in a person's home, the main event in the life of which was the victory over Napoleon at Waterloo June 18, 1815. This date is still celebrated here every year a special feast. Equestrian statue of the Duke-winner, cast from captured French guns in the battle, clearly visible from the windows of the palace.

Apsley House - is unique in its preserved examples of urban residence of the British aristocracy. In the local art gallery are paintings, captured as trophies in 1813 in the train of Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. This magnificent works of Velazquez, Goya, Murillo, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Van Dyck, Rubens, Willem van de Velde the Younger, Antonio da Correggio. Exhibited numerous gifts of European monarchs: malachite candelabra sent Nicholas I, Sevres porcelain dinner service, prepodnesёnny Louis XVIII, Meissen porcelain of Frederick Augustus I of Saxony. In addition, Apsley House you can see the amazing collection of silverware, ceramics, sculpture, furniture, decorations and medals.

Special booths devoted to the biography of Wellington, past the path from ensign to field marshal, commander in chief of the British army and the prime minister. His nickname, "Iron Duke", he deserved it, but not to win when in 1832 his policies perturbed the crowd broke the windows with stones in Apsley House, Wellington ordered to put on the iron window shutters.

At the entrance of the residence, under the stairs, there is a huge (3, 5-meter) statue of Napoleon as Mars peacemaker nude. She ordered the great Napoleon by Canova. However, when the sculpture was taken to Paris, the emperor ordered to hide it from the eyes: Canova carved a perfect God, and by the time Bonaparte was quite obese. After Waterloo and Restoration Louis XVIII gave the sculpture in Britain, and the British government, in turn, Wellington, who found a suitable place for her in his home.