London’s Top 10 : Buckingham Palace

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London’s most famous residence, and one of its best
recognized landmarks, Buckingham Palace was built as a town house for
the first Duke of Buckingham in 1705. Between 1824 and 1831, George IV
commissioned John Nash to extend the house into a substantial palace,
which was first occupied by Queen Victoria in 1837. The extensive front
of the building was completed by Sir Aston Webb in 1913. The Palace is
now home to the present Queen and the State Rooms are open to the public
during summer. Many royal parks and gardens in London are also
accessible to the public .

State Apartments

  • Open Aug–Sep: 9:45am–6pm daily (last adm 3:45pm).

  • Admission: adults £16.50; students and over 60s £15; under 17s £9.50; family ticket £44; under 5s free

Royal Mews

  • 020 7766 7302

  • Open Apr–Oct: 11am–4pm daily (last adm 3:15pm).

  • Admission: adults £7.50; students and over 60s £6.75; under 17s £4.80; under 5s free

Queen’s Gallery

  • 020 7766 7301

  • Open 10am–5:30pm (last adm 4:30pm)


Palace Life

The official business
of the monarchy takes place in the Palace, which has a staff of around
300. The Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of York, Prince Edward and the Princess
Royal all have offices here. The most senior member of the Royal
Household is the Lord Chamberlain. The Master of the Household and 200
domestic staff organize many functions in the Palace every year,
including around 25 Investitures for recipients of awards which are
given by The Queen.






Decorative lock on Palace gates



Victoria Monument

Time your visit to coincide with the Changing of the Guard.



Top 10 Highlights

  1. Changing of the Guard

    The
    Palace guards, in their familiar red tunics and tall bearskin hats, are
    changed at 11am each morning (10am on Sundays, and alternate days in
    winter). The guards march to the Palace from the nearby Wellington
    Barracks.




  2. The Balcony

    On
    special occasions, the Queen and other members of the Royal Family step
    on to the Palace balcony to wave to the crowds gathered below.

  3. Queen’s Gallery

    The
    gallery hosts a changing programme of exhibitions of the Royal
    Collection’s masterpieces, including works by artists such as Johannes
    Vermeer and Leonardo da Vinci.

  4. Grand Staircase

    The
    Ambassadors’ Entrance leads into the Grand Hall. From here the
    magnificent Grand Staircase, with gilded balustrades, rises to the first
    floor where the State Rooms are found.

  5. Throne Room

    This
    houses the thrones of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip used for the
    coronation. Designed by John Nash, the room has a highly ornamented
    ceiling and magnificent chandeliers.

  6. Picture Gallery

    The
    largest room in the Palace has a barrel-vaulted glass ceiling and
    contains a number of paintings from the Royal Collection, including
    works by Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck.

  7. State Ballroom

    Banquets
    for visiting heads of state are held here. The most glittering social
    event of the year is in November, when 1,200 members of the Diplomatic
    Corps arrive in full court dress.

  8. Royal Mews

    Caring
    for 34 horses, including the Windsor Greys, which pull the royal coach
    on state occasions, these are the finest working stables in Britain. The
    collection of coaches, landaus and carriages includes the magnificent
    Gold State Coach, which was built in c.1760.




  9. Palace Garden

    The
    extensive Palace garden is an oasis for wildlife and includes a
    four-acre lake. There are at least three Royal garden parties each year,
    to which over 30,000 people attend.




  10. Brougham

    Every
    day a horse-drawn Brougham carriage sets out to collect and deliver
    royal packages around London, including the Palace’s weekly copy of Country Life.