Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace stands in the City of Westminster, London, on a site once crossed by the river Tyburn. The palace began as a large townhouse built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. George III bought it in 1761 to serve as a private home for Queen Charlotte. Major changes came in the early 19th century when architects John Nash and Edward Blore added three wings around a central courtyard. It became the British monarch’s London residence in 1837 when Queen Victoria ascended the throne. The palace is the setting for many state occasions and royal hospitality. It has hosted national rejoicing and mourning, and its East Front balcony is where the royal family appears to greet crowds. During the Second World War a bomb destroyed the palace chapel, and the King’s Gallery was built on the site in 1962 to display art from the Royal Collection. The interior features brightly coloured scagliola and lapis lazuli, while Edward VII later redecorated some rooms in a cream and gold scheme. The palace contains 775 rooms and the largest private garden in London. Visitors find the state rooms open to the public each summer and on selected days in winter and spring. The rooms are furnished in styles that include Chinese regency pieces brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. The garden covers a large area and is watered by the Tyburn, which still flows beneath the courtyard. The palace’s history is visible in its layered architecture, from the original townhouse core to the 19th-century wings. The King’s Gallery displays works from the Royal Collection, and the East Front balcony remains a focal point for national events.