buckingham palace
HISTORY
John Sheffield constructed the original building as a countryhouse
BETWEEN 1702 AND 1705.
in 1761
King George III bought the house for his wife and
had it altered by William Chambers.
KING GEORGE IV
in 1826 asked architect John Nash to expand the house, then known as Buckingham House, into a palace.
Meanwhile St. Jame's Palace was still the principal palace used by the royals for ceremonies and receptions.
Unfortunately,
King George IV as well as his younger brother and successor King William IV both died before the palace was completed.
The first to reside the palace was Queen Victoria (in 1837).
in 1850, the palace was expanded
with a new east wing, which added a large number of rooms.
ROYAL FAMILY
A part of the palace is still used by the Royal Family. A flag is hoisted each time the Queen is in it.
The palace is not only home to the Royal Family, there also a number of staff members living there.
The buckingham palace
has 775 rooms
Some of them can be visited during a couple of months in the summer, when the Royal Family is not in the palace.
You can also see the queen's gallery...
... and royal mews
queen victoria memorial
is placed right in front of the building. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb and built in 1911.
Changing of the guard
It takes place daily at 11 o'clock. A colorfully dressed New Guard parades along the Mall towards Buckingham Palace and replaces the existing, Old Guard.
