The palace where the British monarch lives in London. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is a palace that is official residence British monarchs in London. It is also famous for being the largest operating royal palace. Now it is the residence of the English Queen Elizabeth II.
The history of Buckingham Palace begins in the 18th century. It began to be built in 1703 as the home of the Duke of Buckingham. However, in 1762 it was bought by King George III, who wanted to make it his private residence, since St. James's Palace became too small for him and did not satisfy him with the decoration. Over the next 75 years, three additional buildings were built around the central courtyard of Buckingham Palace, designed by architects John Nash and Edward Blore.
In 1837, Queen Victoria, upon ascending the throne, officially declared Buckingham Palace the main residence of the monarchs of Great Britain. During her reign, new additions were made to the architecture of the palace: another building and a ballroom were completed, and the main entrance was moved to the Oratorical Corner in Hyde Park. These were the last major changes in the architecture of the royal residence. Currently, a monument dedicated to Queen Victoria still stands in front of the gate.
The interior of Buckingham Palace was designed in the Georgian style. Pink and blue lapis, as well as artificial marble, were used for decoration. However, during the reign of King Edward VII, the palace underwent renovations. As a result, the decoration style changed to the French Belle Époque, in which gold and cream shades predominated. Some rooms and halls received decoration and furnishings in the Chinese style. Furniture from other royal palaces was also used.
Among other things, Buckingham Palace is famous for its gardens, which are the largest and most beautiful private gardens in London. Their creator was Lancelot Brown, but later they were redesigned by John Nash and William Ailton. A large pond was dug, the creation of which was completed in 1828.
Modern Buckingham Palace is located on an area of 20 hectares, 3 of which are the buildings themselves, and the rest of the space is occupied by the garden. The buildings have up to 600 rooms.
Now the palace is located large gallery, which exhibits paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and other famous artists. In addition, antique French and English furniture and French Sèvres porcelain are exhibited there.
The Queen of Great Britain spends 10 months a year in the palace, and only leaves her residence for a short time at the end of summer and beginning of autumn. During her absence, tourists can visit the queen's chambers.
Any average person can determine whether the queen is in the palace or not; to do this, just glance at the flagpole above the building. If the queen is "at home", her standard flutters there.
The palace cost its owners a lot, almost 700 thousand pounds. This price is due to the expensive materials that were used during construction, for example, 500 marble blocks with veins from Carrara were used. At the same time, it needed to be constantly repaired, since something was constantly breaking down in such a large building. So, literally 3 years after Queen Victoria ascended the throne, out of more than 1000 windows of the palace, literally only a few opened.
In fact, Buckingham Palace is a city in miniature. There is a hospital, a police station, 2 post offices, 2 sports clubs, a bar, a disco and even a swimming pool and a cinema. The palace floors are covered with red carpets that stretch for about 3 miles. There are more than 300 clocks installed in the palace premises, which are maintained by 2 masters. In total, about 700 people serve in the palace. These people are responsible for cleaning and maintaining the palace, as well as organizing various ceremonies such as receptions, banquets, awards, etc. In the summer alone, the palace receives 30,000 visitors and is one of the most interesting attractions in London.
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One of the few in modern world The current royal palace is Buckingham Palace. It is the official residence of Her Majesty the Queen in London. The area of the palace with its garden is about 20 hectares, it has its own police station, two post offices, a hospital, a swimming pool, a bar - in fact, it is an entire city. The palace itself has 775 rooms, including the queen's official study.
The palace staff consists of about 700 people.
Initially, the palace was built for the Duke of Buckingham, in 1762 it was acquired by King George III, completed and upon Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne in 1837, it was declared the main residence of British monarchs. But the most spacious and richly decorated room - the ballroom - was completed only in 1853. After this, the interiors of the palace were changed several times, remaining invariably luxurious.
The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is one of the most recognizable ceremonies in the world - many tourists gather to watch this spectacle: the guards from the Court Division demonstrate impeccable training and absolute equanimity.
What to see
Not all the inhabitants of this palace were happy, but their life and habits always aroused interest among tourists. During August and September, when the Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, it is open to visitors. And there is something to see here! Luxurious watches and candelabra, antique vases, skillfully made furniture, one of the best porcelain collections in the world, magnificent collections of paintings belonging to the British Queen - all this can be seen during a tour of the palace. Of particular interest are the Royal Mews, which since 2011 have been open to visitors all year round, but are still operational. The Royal Mews are responsible for organizing all travel arrangements for the Queen and members of the Royal Family. The exhibition presents royal modes of transport, incl. a golden carriage for coronations and a transparent carriage for brides, not always, but you can find royal horses in the stables. Entry 9 GBP, under 5 years free. On your first visit, you can ask for your ticket to be stamped and it will then be valid for repeat visits for one year.
There is a store in the palace that specializes in selling goods from the so-called “Royal Collection”. These goods are identical to those household items that are used in the daily life of the palace: accessories, towels, kitchen utensils, and various small items. It's not cheap, but it can be a wonderful souvenir from London.
Buckingham Palace
Changing of the Guard
And the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is one of the most recognizable ceremonies in the world, it takes place every day at 11.30 from April to August, and every other day the rest of the year. Many tourists gather to watch this spectacle: the guards from the Court Division demonstrate impeccable training and absolute equanimity, which turns the event into a real performance.
The schedule is posted on a large sign near the palace. Those wishing to photograph the ceremony without interference should take a place near the palace fence in advance.
Queen's Gallery
Admission: 7.20 GBP, reduced (students and people over 60 years old): 6.60 GBP, for disabled people and people under 17 years old: 3.60 GBP, children under 5 years old: free.
Her Majesty's personal collection: works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens, Van Dyck, Vermeer, as well as Faberge eggs and a large collection of drawings by Leonardo.
Royal Day (State Rooms, Royal Mews and Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace): 39.5 GBP, reduced (students and people over 60): 36.2 GBP, disabled and under 17: 22 GBP, children under 5 years: free, family ticket (2 adults and 3 children under 17): 100 GBP.
State Rooms and Buckingham Palace: GBP 18.20, Concession (students and people over 60): GBP 17, Disabled and under 17: GBP 10.30, Children under 5: free, Family ticket (2 adults and 3 children under 17 years old): 60 GBP.
State Rooms, Buckingham Palace and Gardens: GBP 23, Concession (students and over 60s): GBP 20.70, Disabled and under 17s: GBP 14, Children under 5: Free, Family ticket (2 adults and 3 children under 17 years old): 60 GBP.
Prices on the page are as of September 2018.
Ian Dick / flickr.com David Baron / flickr.com traveljunction / flickr.com Jimmy Harris / flickr.com Heather Cowper / flickr.com LASZLO ILYES / flickr.com Peter Roberts / flickr.com Leonard Bentley / flickr.com Photo from the 1950s (Leonard Bentley / flickr.com) Royal Mews (Nigel Swales / flickr.com) Hernán Piñera / flickr.com Neil Thompson / flickr.com
Various ceremonies are held in the palace. In addition, members of the royal family spend most of their lives here. Officially, the building is the property of the monarchs of Great Britain. Although the Queen no longer has legislative power, her life and stay in the palace is fully provided for by the British state.
Buckingham Palace is one of the most interesting attractions in Great Britain and is very popular among tourists. This is one of the most visited places, because many are interested in seeing how monarchs live.
The Queen of Great Britain lives here almost all year round except for two months - August and September. A sign that allows you to determine whether she is on vacation or not is a flag over the palace, indicating her presence. Tourists are only allowed into Buckingham Palace when the royal family is away.
Interior of Buckingham Palace (Neil Thompson / flickr.com)
Buckingham Palace has a truly impressive interior. The photos taken here illustrate how luxurious the life of monarchs is nowadays.
The description of the residence can begin with how many rooms this unique structure has. Throughout Buckingham Palace there are 755 rooms for different purposes. These are 52 bedrooms intended for the Queen, her relatives and guests. 78 bathrooms. A further 188 bedrooms are allocated for servants and 92 offices. However, during excursions, tourists are allowed to visit only 19 rooms. The most interesting of them are: Banquet, Ballroom, Throne Halls and Gallery, where paintings by great artists are collected.
The paintings are hung as they were in Queen Victoria's time. The room, striking in its spaciousness, is a ballroom. Its dimensions: 36 by 18 meters. This room can be accessed through the eastern Gallery. Through the Western one there is an opportunity to go to the halls where official receptions are held: White, Yellow, Blue, Green Living Rooms.
A spectacle that has gained popularity among tourists in the UK is the changing of the guard. This is a whole solemn ceremony, during which the security of the residence is changed. During the summer, this ritual takes place every day.
How did the mansion become a palace?
Initially, the palace was called Buckingham House and even then it was considered the most luxurious palace in London. It was built for the Duke of Buckingham. Since the Queen gave him a plot of land, the Duke built a mansion on it. But the owner did not like life in such a house. It seemed to him that the building smelled of mold and rot. Death overtook the Duke several years after the completion of construction. His wife followed him after a while.
After this, Charles Sheffield became the owner of the house. Life in the palace did not appeal to him, and he sold it for 28 thousand pounds sterling to the king of England.
In 1762, the mansion was purchased by George III, who was no longer satisfied with his St. James's Palace due to its size and decoration. From that time on, the palace received the name Queen's House. Because his wife and children lived their lives here. The façade of the building was simplified and a huge library was built.
Facts indicate that the palace subsequently grew significantly, since three more of the same ones were added to the current building. Thus, Buckingham Palace began to look like a square in plan. And inside it there was a courtyard. Construction took 75 years. First John Nash and then Edward Blore worked on the palace projects.
Residence of the Queen of Great Britain
When Victoria ascended the throne in 1837, Buckingham Palace formally became a residence. It was the most beautiful building in the city and that is why it became the main abode of the Queen of Great Britain. Thanks to Victoria, this palace became a real symbol of the kingdom of England.
Early 20th century (Leonard Bentley / flickr.com)
The residence had to be seriously updated. This cost a substantial amount of about 700 thousand pounds sterling. It’s a fact, but such waste caused discontent among the city’s population. In addition, according to the British, there was too much luxury at the seat of government. Only foreign palaces could afford such wealth, and England, according to many, did not need it, even for the life of monarchs.
The especially frequent pompous combination of gold with purple and crimson shades in the rooms hinted at the lack of taste of the creator. In addition, an extensive garden with a pond and waterfalls appeared here, which became the largest in the city.
A large square was made in front of the palace, in the center of which there is now a monument to the queen, surrounded by allegorical figures. The Marble Arch entrance has been moved. Another addition to the palace was made, in addition to the previous three.
Edward VII also made some changes to the design of the residence. Artificial marble was replaced with real marble. Some rooms are decorated in Chinese style. The palace's decoration became cream and gold. Another fact is that King Edward was born and died within Buckingham Palace. His whole life was spent here.
The residence of the Queen of England is a building that was built by the Duke of Buckingham for his own residence. These days, Elizabeth II spends most of her life here. However, not everyone knows where Buckingham Palace is or how to get there.
Visit to Buckingham Palace
The palace is one of the most famous in the world. Who built it for himself Duke of Buckingham I couldn’t live in it because of the smell of dampness that was felt in all its corners.
After the purchase of Buckingham Palace by the royal family, it underwent major reconstruction.
Where is it located and how to get there?
Buckingham Palace is located in the center, surrounded by picturesque parks. The closest of them to the residence of Elizabeth II is St. James's Park. The exact address palace: Buckingham Palace London SW1A 1 AA.
There are streets opposite the palace Green Park and Pall Mall. Last on Sundays and holidays becomes completely pedestrian. You can follow it to the Admiralty Arch and get to Trafalgar Square.
Read also in what air flights there are to London, and how long the flight lasts.
The best way to get to Buckingham Palace is by metro. It is located between Victoria and Green Park stations. You can also walk to the palace from St. James's Park.
Tourists who decide to travel around London by bus can get to Buckingham Palace on routes: 11, 211, C1 and C10. Stop Buckingham Palace Road.
Opening hours and excursions
Despite the fact that Buckingham Palace is a royal residence, it offers guided tours that last 2-2.5 hours. Tourists have the opportunity to walk around the palace only in periods:
- from May 1 to August 31;
- from September 1 to October 2.
August and September are the official holidays for English monarchs. During the course you can go on an excursion to the existing royal stables. The beginning of the tour route around Buckingham Palace starts from the embassy entrance.
It is located on Buckingham Palace Road.
While the queen is in the palace, the national flag is raised above it.
The entrance to the palace is paid. The ticket price depends on the age of the visitor. The royal residence covers an area of 20 hectares. On its territory, in addition to the palace, there is a garden, there is its own police station, 2 post offices and even a hospital. Photography during the tour can only be done in the palace garden. This is the final point of the excursion.
Visiting the palace is very popular in London. There is a lot to see in it. Elizabeth II's personal collection contains paintings by great artists. Among them are paintings by Raphael, Van Dyck and others. The palace has a large collection of porcelain, including Faberge eggs. Excursion route only goes in one direction.
Queen's Guard
Before entering the palace, tourists pass royal guard service. The procedure for passing it is reminiscent of the passenger screening system at the airport. Bags and accessories are passed through a special scanner. The tourists themselves go through a metal detector.
Tourists are prohibited from entering the palace with large bags, suitcases and backpacks, as well as food and drinks. All this must be taken to the storage room.
The Buckingham Palace security guards are highly trained. She is considered one of the best in the world. Helicopters patrol over the residence, and the monarchs are surrounded by a large number of special agents. The royal guard includes the Horse Guards and Infantry Guards regiments.
A huge number of tourists coming to London are attracted by such activities as Changing of the Guard. The most famous ceremony takes place at Buckingham Palace. From April to July, the changing of the guard is carried out daily, from August to March - every other day.
Royal life: description of the residence with photos
When starting the construction of his palace, the Duke of Buckingham could not even imagine that it would become the residence of English monarchs. The wetlands were given to the Duke at the corner of Green Park and St James's. as a gift from Queen Anne.
History: when was it built, who lived and lives now in the building?
The building dates back to the 18th century. After the death of the Duke of Buckingham, his palace was inherited by Charles Sheffield, who soon sold it George III. The purchase of the palace cost the royal family 28 thousand pounds sterling.
Immediately after the acquisition of the palace, its serious perestroika. The most significant transformations of the palace occurred during the reign of Queen Victoria. It was she who officially declared Buckingham Palace the residence of monarchs.
Queen Victoria invested crazy sums for those times into the reconstruction of the palace and new construction. About £700,000 was spent. This caused discontent among the people and the nobility of the country. Despite this, the king continued to improve the palace Edward VII.
Currently lives in the palace Elizabeth II. Her court is ruled by the Lord Chamberlain. In total, more than 800 people serve the royal family. These include footmen, pages and other service personnel.
Territory and façade
The exterior of Buckingham Palace looks quite modestly. Against this background of architectural restraint, the forged gate gate and fence covered with gilding look especially elegant.
The main architectural decoration of the palace is the balconies. The idea of their creation belonged to Prince Albert.
On significant days, Queen Elizabeth II goes out to the balcony greet his subjects along with his grandchildren and Prince Charles.
The palace is surrounded by a garden, which was laid out by the designer Lancelot Brown. There is a picturesque artificial lake and a cascade of waterfalls. A network of rivers was created to replenish the lake with water.
One of the attractions of the palace gardening area is Napoleon vase. There are 8 gardeners in the palace. There are tennis courts here, a large number of gazebos and even a helipad.
Among the trees growing around the palace, special attention deserves mulberry, planted under James I. By his order, a mulberry garden was founded. The monarch had a desire to produce his own silk in London.
Currently, in the garden and park area you can find pink flamingos. In summer, the palace hosts outdoor receptions, for which tickets are sold. The number of guests reaches 50 thousand people.
Plan: how many rooms are inside and their interiors
Ordinary citizens had the opportunity to see the splendor of the palace decoration after 1993. From this period, visiting the palace was open to tourists. Number of rooms in a palace:
- 52 guest and royal bedrooms;
- 19 front doors;
- created for the work of employees 92 office.
The service staff occupies 188 bedrooms. The palace has 78 bathrooms, 1514 doors and 760 windows. The stairs are covered with carpets, the length of which is almost 5 km.
A large number of candelabra, vases and clocks were used in the decoration of the palace. The walls of the halls are hung with paintings by famous artists. The largest number of them are located in art gallery. Its length is 50 m and its width is 8 m.
The main room of the royal apartments is Belgian Hall. It is decorated with an astronomical clock, which has a very complex mechanism.
In the Belgian Hall, crystal chandeliers are suspended from the ceilings, and a lot of gilding is used in the decoration of the hall.
Adjacent to the Belgian Hall pool. At set hours, palace servants are allowed to swim in it. On the opposite side of the pool there is a cinema room.
Everything is open to visit the palace. 9 rooms and 10 halls. Among them is the Royal Gallery, built on the site of a destroyed chapel. During the excursion, tourists visit and inspect:
In the courtyard of the palace there is a shop that sells souvenirs that duplicate items from the Royal Collection. It includes various accessories, towels, and other products. While visiting the palace, you can watch the changing of the royal guard, drink a cup of tea in a cafe overlooking the pond, and buy some with the royal family's coat of arms.
- There are many legends about Buckingham Palace. One of them talks about how a casting, which walks around it rattling shackles.
- Visiting the palace was not allowed because of a good life. The royal family was pushed to do this lack of money for the maintenance of the palace.
- During Second World War the royal family refused to leave the palace.
- Those who do not have the opportunity to visit the palace can travel around it virtually. You can find a virtual tour on the official website of the palace.
This resulted in the palace being subjected to the most intense bombing in London.
For the second hundred years now, the main palace of the United Kingdom has hospitably opened its gates to dignitaries from all over the world. The royal residence - Buckingham Palace - has become the central headquarters of the monarchy for holding the most important events at the state level.
History of the construction of Buckingham Palace
The first name of the palace from 1702 was Buckingham House - Buckingham's house. Londoners immediately called it the most beautiful house in the capital. But the Duke was not destined to enjoy the new building - he soon died, and then, unable to recover from the death of her husband, his wife died. The building was inherited by illegitimate son Charles Sheffield.
Victoria loved to organize costume balls here. Her husband Albert was a music connoisseur and invited famous musicians. Under the arches of the hall music was performed by Strauss and Mendelssohn. Their successors continued this tradition, and there was always live music. Legendary jazzman Louis Armstrong was also on the list of invited musicians.
To this day, the Ballroom amazes contemporaries with its pomp and rich decor. Nowadays, the head of state holds state and diplomatic receptions there, anniversary concerts and theatrical performances are held here. It can accommodate 1500 people.
During Victoria's reign, Buckingham Palace changed a lot. The area around the residence was redesigned, the front entrance was changed, and Marble arch was moved to Hyde Park. Another room was added, which became the public façade of the building. The famous balcony from which the royal couple greets their subjects on holidays is located on this building. Interior decoration shone with gold and captivated with luxury. The best contemporary artists painted paintings at the request of Her Majesty. They are still a worthy decoration of palace walls.
There are 755 rooms in Buckingham Palace, each unique and luxurious. State dining room and Big hall flaunt red silk on the walls and gold trim. The State Dining Room features a luxurious natural mahogany table that can seat 600 people. When preparing for dinners, the table has to be washed with a special mop and rag, standing directly on it. And special rooms are allocated for dirty dishes or for storing them.
The fact that Elizabeth II is present at Buckingham Palace is indicated by a special flag flying over the royal palace on the central flagpole - a red and blue standard, decorated with gilding and symbols of the monarchy. If the weather is good, a large standard is visible. The flag of the United Kingdom announces that the Queen has left the palace.
The feeling of the close presence of Elizabeth II fills guests of the capital with special feelings of delight and belonging. Many tourists say that this feeling is indescribable and you need to experience it yourself. And the indigenous people of Great Britain feel the special harmony of centuries, the stability and steadfastness of English traditions.
What can we say about the desire to go inside, look into the halls and rooms of the house of the head of state, and learn about the habits of members of the royal family. Unfortunately, the residence opens its doors to tourists only for two months (August and September) - during this time Her Majesty is on vacation and she leaves her London mission and goes on vacation to Scotland. But you won’t be able to come to the ticket office, buy a ticket and wander around the apartment - the number of guests per day is strictly limited. Only 30 thousand tourists a year can visit the chambers of the Highest Persons. These are those who applied for the excursion in advance. Their number does not change from year to year.
What to see at Buckingham Palace
Most photographs are taken in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace. Immediately attention falls on the majestic arch with winged sculptures - “Victories” supporting its arches. As one imagines, there must be a throne there. But instead of it there are two large chairs with the initials of Elizabeth and Philip. Monarchs sit on these chairs when receiving official congratulations or participating in formal or wedding photo sessions.
During a tour of the apartments, you can admire the unique paintings, elaborate furniture, an exhibition of sculptures of George IV and Kate Middleton's wedding dress. The Guard Room has a wonderful display of 19th century tapestries and sculptures.
This is the longest room in the building - the length of 2 tennis courts. All year round Exhibitions from the personal collections of monarchs are held here. It was built on the site of a chapel that was destroyed by Nazi bombers in 1940. On the white marble fireplaces there are bas-reliefs of great painters - Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer and Van Dyck.
Among the plants here you can find trees of many species. The mulberry planted under James I deserves special attention. A curious story is associated with his name. Wanting to promote the development of English silk production, the king ordered an entire mulberry garden to be planted. But, unfortunately, I chose a variety of trees on which silkworms do not live. And the English silk project failed miserably.
Pink flamingos are an exquisite garden decoration at Buckingham Palace. Graceful birds, not afraid of people or the noise of helicopters overhead, attract the attention of all visitors.
In the summer, the park hosts special entertainment events - receptions, dinners and banquets, for which tickets are sold. Thanks to them, about 50,000 guests visit this place. Some events of the royal court begin on its territory. For example, the opening of the autumn sessions of parliament is traditionally held there. In June, a celebration is held here in honor of Her Majesty's birthday. During the gala reception in honor of Elizabeth's golden jubilee, several thousand tickets were sold. One of the guitarists of the legendary group “Queen” was invited to provide musical accompaniment. A bright children's party was also organized in the park. 
It is the leader in area among private gardens and parks in London. It remains private - public access here is strictly limited. Visitors can access some areas of the park included in the excursion program. Tours usually end at a huge tent selling souvenirs and royal ice cream.
Elite souvenirs
Near the residence there is a special store that sells items from the “royal collection”. These are copies of things that its inhabitants use in everyday life: towels, kitchen utensils, dishes, accessories and various small items. The rather high price does not discourage tourists from purchasing a luxurious London souvenir with royal monograms.
Cost of excursions to Buckingham Palace
The cost of visiting the residence depends on the chosen route. It is best to choose a route in advance on the official website of the palace: www.royal.gov.uk. Here you can find out when different attractions are available for viewing and when special events take place.
You can visit the Art Gallery and Stables with a combined ticket costing £17. The “Royal Day” excursion will allow you to explore the state rooms, the palace itself, the Gallery and the stables. The most expensive is 29.5 pounds, a tour of the palace apartments and the park.
There is a varied and well-thought-out system of benefits and discounts for children, students, the elderly and the disabled. For example, you can purchase a family pass for 5 people separately with a 50% discount.
Buckingham Palace in numbers
icon-angle-right The total area of the palace is 20 hectares, of which 17 hectares are allocated for the garden.
The building area is more than 77,000 square meters.
It cost £640,000 to reconstruct during Queen Victoria's time.
There are 775 rooms in the palace; of which: 188 staff rooms, 78 bathrooms, 52 guest rooms, 92 are offices. Only 19 of them are available to the public. The most spacious room - the Ballroom - is 36 m long, 18 m wide and 13.5 m high.
There are 1514 doors, 760 windows. They are washed approximately once a month.
3 miles (approximately 5 km) of red carpets line the staircases and hallways.
It was electrified at the end of the 19th century and now has 40 thousand light bulbs.
There are over 350 hours here. They are maintained by two master watchmakers.
30,000 people are a constant number of lucky people who get into the royal residence for 2 months a year.
More than 50,000 people attend receptions throughout the year.
700 employees and courtiers maintain the proper appearance of the palace and meet all the needs of Her Majesty’s family.
World-famous, modern, luxurious, pompous, acting royal - all these adjectives describe Buckingham Palace. For almost 180 years it has served as the official residence of the reigning monarchs of Great Britain.