  Hubble Space Telescope images of 3CR radio galaxies at redshifts 0.6 < z <
1.8 have shown a remarkable variety of structures, generally aligned along the
radio axis, indicating that the radio source strongly influences the optical
appearance of these galaxies. In this paper we investigate the host galaxies
underlying this aligned emission, combining the HST data with ground-based
infrared images. An investigation of the spectral energy distributions of the
galaxies shows that the contribution of the aligned blue component to the
K--band light is generally small (about 10%). The radial intensity profiles of
the galaxies are well matched at radii <~ 35 kpc by de Vaucouleurs' law,
demonstrating that the K--band light is dominated by that of an elliptical
galaxy. There is no evidence for a nuclear point source, in addition to the de
Vaucouleurs profile, with a contribution >~15% of the total K--band flux
density, except in two cases, 3C22 and 3C41. Large characteristic radii are
derived, indicating that the 3CR galaxies must be highly evolved dynamically,
even at a redshift of one. At radii > 35 kpc, a combined galaxy profile clearly
shows an excess of emission reminiscent of cD--type halos. This supports other
independent evidence for the hypothesis that the distant 3CR galaxies lie in
moderately rich (proto--)clusters. Since the nearby FR II galaxies in the 3CR
catalogue lie in more diffuse environments and do not possess cD halos, the
galactic environments of the 3CR galaxies must change with redshift. The K-z
relation of the 3CR galaxies cannot, therefore, be interpreted using a standard
`closed-box, passive stellar evolution' model. We offer a new interpretation,
and compare the model with the K-z relations of lower power radio galaxies and
brightest cluster galaxies. (abridged)

Astrophysics