Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace (
Originally known as Buckingham House, the building at the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as The Queen's House. During the 19th century it was enlarged by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, who constructed three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.
The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East Front, which contains the balcony on which the
The original early-19th-century interior designs, many of which survive, include widespread use of brightly coloured
History
Pre-1624
In the
In 1531, Henry VIII acquired the Hospital of St James, which became St James's Palace,[4] from Eton College, and in 1536 he took the Manor of Ebury from Westminster Abbey.[5] These transfers brought the site of Buckingham Palace back into royal hands for the first time since William the Conqueror had given it away almost 500 years earlier.[6] Various owners leased it from royal landlords, and the freehold was the subject of frenzied speculation during the 17th century. By then, the old village of Eye Cross had long since fallen into decay, and the area was mostly wasteland.[7] Needing money, James VI and I sold off part of the Crown freehold but retained part of the site on which he established a four-acre (1.6 ha) mulberry garden for the production of silk. (This is at the north-west corner of today's palace.)[8] Clement Walker in Anarchia Anglicana (1649) refers to "new-erected sodoms and spintries at the Mulberry Garden at S. James's"; this suggests it may have been a place of debauchery. Eventually, in the late 17th century, the freehold was inherited from the property tycoon Hugh Audley by the great heiress Mary Davies.[c]
First houses on the site (1624–1761)
Possibly the first house erected within the site was that of William Blake, around 1624.
From Queen's House to palace (1761–1837)
Under the new royal ownership, the building was originally intended as a private retreat for
After his accession to the throne in 1820, George IV continued the renovation intending to create a small, comfortable home. However, in 1826, while the work was in progress, the King decided to modify the house into a palace with the help of his architect John Nash.[24] The external façade was designed, keeping in mind the French neoclassical influence preferred by George IV. The cost of the renovations grew dramatically, and by 1829 the extravagance of Nash's designs resulted in his removal as the architect. On the death of George IV in 1830, his younger brother William IV hired Edward Blore to finish the work.[25][26] William never moved into the palace. After the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834, he offered to convert Buckingham Palace into a new Houses of Parliament, but his offer was declined.[27]
Queen Victoria (1837–1901)
Buckingham Palace became the principal royal residence in 1837, on the accession of Queen Victoria,
By 1847, the couple had found the palace too small for court life and their growing family[32] and a new wing, designed by Edward Blore, was built by Thomas Cubitt,[33] enclosing the central quadrangle. The large East Front, facing The Mall, is today the "public face" of Buckingham Palace and contains the balcony from which the royal family acknowledge the crowds on momentous occasions and after the annual Trooping the Colour.[34] The ballroom wing and a further suite of state rooms were also built in this period, designed by Nash's student James Pennethorne.[35] Before Prince Albert's death, the palace was frequently the scene of musical entertainments,[36] and the most celebrated contemporary musicians entertained at Buckingham Palace. The composer Felix Mendelssohn is known to have played there on three occasions.[37] Johann Strauss II and his orchestra played there when in England.[38] Under Victoria, Buckingham Palace was frequently the scene of lavish costume balls, in addition to the usual royal ceremonies, investitures and presentations.[39]
Widowed in 1861, the grief-stricken Queen withdrew from public life and left Buckingham Palace to live at Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle and Osborne House. For many years the palace was seldom used, even neglected. In 1864, a note was found pinned to the fence of Buckingham Palace, saying: "These commanding premises to be let or sold, in consequence of the late occupant's declining business."[40] Eventually, public opinion persuaded the Queen to return to London, though even then she preferred to live elsewhere whenever possible. Court functions were still held at Windsor Castle, presided over by the sombre Queen habitually dressed in mourning black, while Buckingham Palace remained shuttered for most of the year.[41]
Early 20th century (1901–1945)
In 1901, the new king,
The last major building work took place during the reign of
During the
George V's wife, Queen Mary, was a connoisseur of the arts and took a keen interest in the Royal Collection of furniture and art, both restoring and adding to it. Queen Mary also had many new fixtures and fittings installed, such as the pair of marble Empire-style chimneypieces by Benjamin Vulliamy, dating from 1810, which the Queen had installed in the ground floor Bow Room, the huge low room at the centre of the garden façade. Queen Mary was also responsible for the decoration of the Blue Drawing Room.[49] This room, 69 feet (21 metres) long, previously known as the South Drawing Room, has a ceiling designed by Nash, coffered with huge gilt console brackets.[50] In 1938, the northwest pavilion, designed by Nash as a conservatory, was converted into a swimming pool.[51]
Second World War
External videos | |
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Buckingham Palace Bombed (1940) – Newsreel of damage to the palace and chapel (1:08) |
During the
By the Editor: The King and Queen have endured the ordeal which has come to their subjects. For the second time a German bomber has tried to bring death and destruction to the home of Their Majesties ... When this war is over the common danger which King George and Queen Elizabeth have shared with their people will be a cherished memory and an inspiration through the years.[55]
On 15 September 1940, known as
Mid 20th century to present day
Many of the palace's contents are part of the Royal Collection; they can, on occasion, be viewed by the public at the King's Gallery, near the Royal Mews. The purpose-built gallery opened in 1962 and displays a changing selection of items from the collection.[60] It occupies the site of the chapel that was destroyed in the Second World War.[15] The palace was designated a Grade I listed building in 1970.[61] Its state rooms have been open to the public during August and September and on some dates throughout the year since 1993. The money raised in entry fees was originally put towards the rebuilding of Windsor Castle after the 1992 fire devastated many of its staterooms.[62] In the year to 31 March 2017, 580,000 people visited the palace, and 154,000 visited the gallery.[63] In 2004, the palace attempted to claim money from the community energy fund to heat Buckingham Palace, but the claim was rejected due to fear of public backlash.[64]
The palace used to
The palace, like Windsor Castle, is owned by the reigning monarch in right of
Buckingham Palace is a symbol and home of the British monarchy, an art gallery and a tourist attraction. Behind the gilded railings and gates that were completed by the
Interior
The front of the palace measures 355 feet (108 m) across, by 390 feet (120 m) deep, by 80 feet (24 m) high and contains over 830,000 square feet (77,000 m2) of floorspace.[80] There are 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 principal bedrooms and 19 state rooms. It also has a post office, cinema, swimming pool, doctor's surgery,[75] and jeweller's workshop.[81] The royal family occupy a small suite of private rooms in the north wing.[82]
Principal rooms
The principal rooms are contained on the first-floor
Semi-state apartments
Directly underneath the state apartments are the less grand semi-state apartments. Opening from the Marble Hall, these rooms are used for less formal entertaining, such as luncheon parties and private
East wing
Between 1847 and 1850, when Blore was building the new east wing, the
At the centre of this wing is the famous balcony with the Centre Room behind its glass doors. This is a Chinese-style saloon enhanced by Queen Mary, who, working with the designer Charles Allom, created a more "binding"[93] Chinese theme in the late 1920s, although the lacquer doors were brought from Brighton in 1873. Running the length of the piano nobile of the east wing is the Great Gallery, modestly known as the Principal Corridor, which runs the length of the eastern side of the quadrangle.[94] It has mirrored doors and mirrored cross walls reflecting porcelain pagodas and other oriental furniture from Brighton. The Chinese Luncheon Room and Yellow Drawing Room are situated at each end of this gallery, with the Centre Room in between.[95]
Court ceremonies
Investitures for the awarding of honours (which include the conferring of knighthoods by dubbing with a sword) usually take place in the palace's Throne Room.[96] Investitures are conducted by the King or another senior member of the royal family: a military band plays in the musicians' gallery, as recipients receive their honours, watched by their families and friends.[97]
State banquets take place in the Ballroom, built in 1854. At 120 feet (36.6 m) long, 60 feet (18 m) wide and 45 feet (13.5 m) high,[75] it is the largest room in the palace; at one end of the room is a throne dais (beneath a giant, domed velvet canopy, known as a shamiana or baldachin, that was used at the Delhi Durbar in 1911).[98] State Banquets are formal dinners held on the first evening of a state visit by a foreign head of state.[97] On these occasions, for up to 170 guests in formal "white tie and decorations", including tiaras, the dining table is laid with the Grand Service, a collection of silver-gilt plate made in 1811 for the Prince of Wales, later George IV.[99]
The largest and most formal reception at Buckingham Palace takes place every November when the King entertains members of the diplomatic corps.[100] On this grand occasion, all the state rooms are in use, as the royal family proceed through them,[101] beginning at the great north doors of the Picture Gallery. As Nash had envisaged, all the large, double-mirrored doors stand open, reflecting the numerous crystal chandeliers and sconces, creating a deliberate optical illusion of space and light.[102]
Smaller ceremonies such as the reception of new ambassadors take place in the "1844 Room". Here too, the King holds small lunch parties, and often meetings of the
Former ceremonial
Court dress
Formerly, men not wearing
Court presentation of débutantes
Garden and surroundings
At the rear of the palace is the large and park-like garden, which together with its lake is the largest private garden in London.[112] There, Queen Elizabeth II hosted her annual garden parties each summer and also held large functions to celebrate royal milestones, such as jubilees. It covers 17 ha (42 acres) and includes a helicopter landing area, a lake and a tennis court.[75]
Adjacent to the palace is the
The Mall, a ceremonial approach route to the palace, was designed by Aston Webb and completed in 1911 as part of a grand memorial to Queen Victoria. It extends from Admiralty Arch, across St James's Park to the Victoria Memorial, concluding at the entrance gates into the palace forecourt.[116] This route is used by the cavalcades and motorcades of visiting heads of state, and by the royal family on state occasions—such as the annual Trooping the Colour.[117]
Security breaches
See also
Notes
- British sovereign at Buckingham Palace, they are accredited to the "Court of St James's Palace". This anomaly continues for the sake of tradition, as Buckingham Palace is to all intents and purposes the official residence. See History of St James's Palace(Official website of the British Monarchy).
- ^ The topography of the site and its ownership are dealt with in Wright, chapters 1–4.
- dukes of Westminster), which still exists today. They are remembered in the street names North Audley Street, South Audley Street, and Davies Street, all in Mayfair.
- ^ The purchase price is given by Wright p. 142 as £28,000.
- ^ The tradition persists of foreign ambassadors being formally accredited to "the Court of St James's", even though it is at Buckingham Palace that they present their credentials and staff to the monarch upon their appointment.
- Princess Margaret is reputed to have remarked of the débutante presentations: "We had to put a stop to it, every tart in London was getting in."[110]
- ^ Under section 128(1) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, "A person commits an offence if he enters, or is on, any designated site in England and Wales or Northern Ireland as a trespasser".[123] Buckingham Palace is a designated site under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Designated Sites under Section 128) Order 2007.[124]
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External links
- Buckingham Palace at the Royal Family website
- Account of Buckingham Palace, with prints of Arlington House and Buckingham House from Old and New London (1878)
- Account of the acquisition of the Manor of Ebury from Survey of London (1977)
- The State Rooms, Buckingham Palace at the Royal Collection Trust
- Geographic data related to Buckingham Palace at OpenStreetMap