Charles Cameron was an architect and interior designer of Scots origin, who came to Russia in 1779 at the behest of Catherine the Great, and established himself as one of the Empress’s favourite designers, working at Tsarskoe Selo for over 15 years.Cameron Gallery, the most prominent of his creations at Tsarskoe Selo, and the one which proved he was as talented an architect as an interior designer. Catherine instructed Cameron to create a colonnade for strolling and philosophical discussion, and the result was this supremely elegant building that stands perpendicular to the east wing of the Catherine Palace. Designed to offer the best possible views over the surrounding park, and especially the Great Pond, the upper storey of the building is surrounded by a colonnade consisting of 44 slender ionic columns and decorated with bronze busts of the great figures of antiquity. Approached by a magnificent staircase from the northern end, the Gallery is now used to house temporary exhibitions.
