serpentine in plan, the five sections densely wrought with foliate scrolls, the larger central panel centred with a cartouche,

Orleans House was built on an idyllic Thames riverbank plot in 1710 for James Johnston, Joint Secretary of State for Scotland under William III. Today, all that remains, apart from the stables, is The Octagon by James Gibbs which was added twenty years later. The name Orleans House derives from a later inhabitant the exiled Duke of Orleans resident 1815-17. He later became Louis-Phillippe, King of the French 1830-48. The main house was demolished in 1926. The park and The Octagon was donated to The Borough by the Hon. Mrs Ionides in the mid 20th Century and now holds art exhibitions.