Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is not an art gallery and nor is it a museum, but you will discover the most precious works of art here.

In 1820, the King George IV's hired architect John Nash to convert the Queen's House into a palace of the pied-a-tarre style. John Nash redid the exteriors and used honey-hued Bath Stone in the Neo-classical French design as favored by George III. The landscape showed off a marble arch made of Carrara marble from Italy. Nash's extravagance, later costed him his job in 1829 when project costs exceeded the amount allotted by the British Parliament by £350,000. King George IV died in 1930 and never got to lived in his newly redone palace.

For travellers, the most important place in the Palace seems to be the 19 State Rooms that open to the public only in August and September while the Queen is on vacation. You can visit the rest of the Palace year round. The State Rooms are used for official entertaining. You will enjoy walking through these lush rooms festooned with some of the greatest Victorian style furnishings and rare regal collections like oil paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Poussin. You will get to see sculptures by Canova and Chantrey; antique porcelain; and the top class furniture in the world.

See the antique paintings at The Picture Gallery that is a corridor and a link to the State rooms. You would also experience the pomp and splendor of the State Ballroom. This ballroom is one of Queen Victoria additions and is used for state banquets.

If you like horses don’t miss out on The Royal Mews located behind Buckingham Palace. Get to see the regal horses and carriages that are used in coronations and weddings. See the 4 ton Gold State Coach, which is used for coronations and takes 8 Windsor Grey horses to pull. If you go to the west front of the Palace, you will find The Queen's Gallery which is open to the public. The gallery exhibits works owned by the Queen.

Buckingham Palace Gardens are situated at the rear of Buckingham Palace. The gardens occupy a 42 acre (17 hectare) site in the City of Westminster, London. You will love the great 19th-century lake poised by flamingoes, and the Waterloo Vase. If you are lucky you can get to see the Queen's Swans.

Address: Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA
Information: 020 7321 2233
Tube: Victoria or Green Park Tube