LONDON WEEKEND BREAKS - Buckingham Palace
It is hard to single out London's most famous monument or building, but the Queen's
official royal residence of Buckingham Palace has to be one of the main contenders.
Buckingham Palace sits proudly in its extensive walled and gated grounds, but with visible access to the main frontal facade designed originally by Edward Blore and completed in 1850 (and subsequently amended in 1913 by Aston Webb).
The grandiose appearance of the palace's main entrance is further enhance by the Victoria Memorial that occupies the Queen's gardens in front of the palace. This memorial takes the form of a bronze sculpture of the Angel of Justice and is photographed every bit as much as Buckingham Palace itself.
History of the Buckingham Palace site
Buckingham Palace takes its name from the man behind its creation in the nineteenth century, namely the Duke of Buckingham.
Whilst the present day palace was designed and constructed in the nineteenth century, it is actually centred around what was once a large town house belonging to the Duke of Buckingham. This original Duke of Buckingham residence dates back to almost one hundred years earlier.
The evolution of the house in to the palace saw extensive redesign work that included the addition of three large wings that created a central courtyard behind the main facade.
The palace as it stands today represents a big change to the original "Buckingham House" and an even bigger change from a seventeenth century property that formally occupied the site and was owned by one Sir William Blake. This house represents the earliest known building on the site.
Buckingham Palace and the Royals
It was not until Queen Victoria's reign that Buckingham Palace became a full time royal residence. Even so, in that comparatively short period of time the palace has become a lasting symbol associated with the royal family and British nationality.
From that time to this, the succession of English monarchs have taken Buckingham Palace as their primary home and place of work and there is no indication that this will change.
Buckingham Palace statistics
Buckingham Palace has extensive accommodation with room numbers and servant (and waiting staff) numbers that are almost mind boggling. The palace holds 600 rooms and employs in the region of 300 permanent employees in the palace buildings and grounds.
The gardens of Buckingham Palace occupy 16 hectares of land and this country setting impression is enhanced by the immediate proximity of St. James' Park, Kensington Park and Hyde Park. There is even a lake with flamingos.
Visiting the palace, location and entry
Buckingham Palace now offers restricted access to the public and all visits are through pre-purchased tickets which include a guided tour.
The palace is normally opened to the public on a very limited schedule, i.e. 29 July to 29 September with visiting hours between 9.45am and 6.00pm. A tour lasts over two hours with tickets being purchased for a specific date and time. What is and is not included changes from year to year as the palace becomes more of a tourist visitor attraction. However, last season allowed visitors to buy either a State Room ticket, or a Royal Day Out ticket. Tickets, bought on site, started from 15.50 UK pounds Stirling on the 2008 season.
Knightsbridge and High Street Kensington are the closest tube stations to Buckingham Palace.