Buckingham Palace, London (London)

18th Century Buckingham Palace official London residence of HRH Queen Elizabeth.

Summary 18th century buildings No smoking Art and sculpture Guided tours Gift shop Gardens Audio guide

Food and Drinks Tea Room

Introduction

Buckingham Palace is the offical London home of the Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. It is also used for administrative work for the monarchy, one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. The state apartments are used when Her Majesty receives and entertains guests invited to the Palace. 

During the summer, visitors can tour the nineteen State Rooms, which form the heart of the Palace, with pre booked, timed tickets. These magnificent rooms are decorated with some of the greatest treasures from the royal collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto and sculptures by Canova.

History to the present day

Buckingham Palace was built in 1702 by the Duke of Buckingham as his London home. The house was then later sold to George III in 1761 by the Duke's son. In 1774 it was renamed "Queen's House" as Queen Charlotte resided there.

The Palace has undergone many renovations and alterations, the first of which was in 1820 when Nash was commissioned by George IV. Nash, one of the foremost architects of the day added a new suite of rooms facing west into the garden, this doubled the size of the building. However the 'front' of the Palace, has remained virtually unchanged from the original design over 300 years ago. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to take up residence in Buckingham Palace in 1837.  

Food and Drinks

Visit the Garden Café which is situated on the West Terrace overlooking the Palace's famous lawn and lake. A selection of refreshments, including tea, coffee, juice and a choice of cakes and sandwiches. Open during the palace's visiting hours, 9.45am-6.30pm. 

Grounds and gardens

Visitors end their tour with a walk along the south side of the garden, with splendid views of the west front of the Palace and the famous lake. The Palace is home to over 350 wild flowers and over 30 different species of birds. 

Other facilities

Changing the Guard takes place at 11.30am daily from May until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year, weather permitting.

The new guards arrive at the forecourt of the Palace at 11.30am from Wellington Barracks. The journey takes about 5 minutes and the soldiers are accompanied by a band. The ceremony is conducted on the Palace forecourt and takes approximately forty minutes to complete. 

Family room available for children to enjoy art activities and browse books, family audio guide available and nature trail. Gift shop.

Arrival information and how to find us

Address: , London, , United Kingdom

Address: Buckingham Palace, London, SW1A 1AA 

By underground: Victoria, Green Park and Hyde Park Corner. By bus: Numbers 11, 211, C1 and C10 stop on Buckingham Palace Road. By coach: Victoria Coach Station is a ten minute walk from the Palace.

Visiting Hours: Open in 2011 from 23 July to 3 October 9.45am-6.30pm

More photos of Buckingham Palace, London

Statue

Staterooms

Throne Room

Changing The Guards