Buckingham Palace in London

London's Buckingham Palace

Upon the designation of Queen Victoria in 1837, Buckingham Palace has been the official home of the British Monarchy. In addition to being the Queen’s official residence for more than 150 years, Buckingham Palace is also one of the most popular sites for tourists that come from near and far.

History of the Palace

Buckingham Palace dates back to 1703 when it was built for the Duke of Buckingham and known as the Buckingham House. It was then sold to George III that used the house as his private residence. Over the next 75 years additions were made so that eventually the house had three wings that were built around a gorgeous central courtyard.

The last major changes to the Palace were made in 1913 when Queen Victoria added a formal ballroom, a nursery, bedrooms for guests, as well as another wing so that the Palace would form a quadrangle. The Palace was also refaced with Portland stone, which was truly the last significant change to the Palace.

Buckingham Palace Today

While Buckingham Palace is often thought of as just a tourist destination, it is still in use today. The Palace is used to house offices as well as a provide residence for the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. More than 50,000 guests and diplomats visit the Palace per year. While the Palace is a place of residence and business there are also several portions of it that are open to the public.

For those that visit in August and September, the West Wing allows visitors to view the State Rooms. There are other areas in which the public can view dressing gowns, antique furniture, beautiful jewels that date back many centuries, and specific parts of the Palace itself. Year round visitors will enjoy seeing the Queen’s Gallery, which is near the stables. The Queen’s Gallery displays an ever changing display of objects that are owned by the British nation. If art is your thing, you’ll enjoy original paintings by Rubens, Vermeer, Canaletto, as well as other artists.

The Royal Mews are quite interesting as well, and the public can view 30 horses and the gold State Coach. The State Coach is a massive four tons and is pulled by eight horses. It isn’t used all of the time; instead it is used for state functions.

The Main Attractions

Anyone that visits Buckingham Palace has to stop to enjoy the 40-acre garden. This is a very serene garden that is well tended to. Well manicured lawns and flowers make way for a beautiful view of the lake. Of course, after perusing through the gardens visitors love to watch the Changing of the Guard, also known as the Guard Mounting. Traditional military music is played while one set of guards replaces the other. The number of guards will give away whether the Queen is in residence as just two are there when she is away, and four are there when she’s in residence.

The Guard Mounting ceremony can be seen at 11:30 am every day and will last for about 45 minutes. The only time the Guard Mounting ceremony will not be seen is when weather is particularly poor.

Getting to Buckingham Palace is very simple and it is easily accessible by the Tube. Green Park station is located to the north of Buckingham Palace and Victoria Station as well as St. James Park tube stations are to the south of the Palace. Any of these stations will easily get you to the Palace.