| Buckingham Palace (picture by Peter Watts) |  |
Buckingham Palace
Photographer Description of Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is usually a very busy place to be. Thankfully at the time I took this panorama, there were not too many people crowding around the gates peering through. I wonder what it must look like from the other side looking back out at the crowds.Buckingham Palace - Further Information
Buckingham Palace in London is many things to many people. It is the London residence of the reigning monarch, where thousands of visitors to London come to see the Changing of the Guard and the Trooping of the Colour. At certain times of the year it is possible to buy tickets for guided tours of Buckingham Palace, but at all times tourists will gather in front of the Palace and on the Victoria Memorial to see the guards. This panoramic photograph was taken from the pedestrianized area in front of the palace. In this picture you can see Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial. The area around the Victoria Memorial is known as theBuckingham Palace plays a central life in Britain. It is to Buckingham Palace that new Prime Ministers comes to present themselves to the monarch. Here too the awards of the Honours List are distributed. Buckingham Palace also holds lavish Garden Parties in the gardens, and, recently, there have been a number of other concerts and events held in the Palace grounds. The Palace also contains the Royal Collection, a private collection of important works of art, some of which are on display.
Buckingham Palace is also the administrative centre for the Royal Family, and much of the space is filled with offices and state function rooms. The State Dinners for visiting dignitaries and Heads of State from other nations are always held at Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace is situated at the Western end of the Mall, next to St. James Park and Green Park. Since 1660 Buckingham Palace and the other Royal Palaces have been guarded by the Household Troops. Like the palace, the Household Troops are famous the world over dressed in full uniform of red tunics, black trousers and bearskins (the famous black 'hat'). The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is what many tourists specifically come to see. This takes place at 11:30 every day in the summer, and every other day in the winter and lasts about 45 minutes.
The original Buckingham House, was built in 1703 but has been enlarged and expanded several times over the last 300 years. During the last of these in the 19th and early 20th Century large East wing facing The Mall was added and the State Entrance (Marble Arch) was moved to it's current location at the top of Hyde Park. The final changes happened in 1911-13 when the Victoria Memorial was erected in front of the palace and the East Front was faced in Portland Stone. Buckingham Palace became the official royal palace and effective head quarters of the British monarch when Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837.
Travel Directions and Getting There:
Tube: Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria lines), Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly Line)