Tower Bridge from the North Bank at dusk
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch.[1]
Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and
royal hospitality. It has been a rallying point for the British people at times of national
rejoicing and crisis.
Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of
today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a
site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was subsequently
acquired by George III in 1761[2] as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and
known as "The Queen's House". During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally
by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, forming three wings around a central
courtyard. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British
monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The last major structural
additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East front
which contains the well-known balcony on which the Royal Family traditionally
congregate to greet crowds outside. However, the palace chapel was destroyed by a
German bomb in World War II; the Queen's Gallery was built on the site and opened
to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection.
The original early 19th-century interior designs, many of which still survive, included
widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis, on the advice
of Sir Charles Long. King Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle
epoque cream and gold colour scheme. Many smaller reception rooms are furnished
in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal
Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House. The Buckingham Palace Garden is the
largest private garden in London.
The state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each
year for most of August and September, as part of the Palace's Summer Opening.