Sentence:  The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering <WSD>splendour</WSD> of a great architectural achievement. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Magnificent appearance, display or grandeur.