Buckingham Palace A 1st Class Tourist Attraction
England is a most wonderful country in which to take a vacation. England has an awesome selection of visitor attractions well worth visiting which cater for all tastes. For example the historic city of York which has been inhabited since the days of the Roman Empire, Liverpool, and Torquay known as the English Riviera. One place to visit that should not be missed is London the capital city of the United Kingdom
London is an astounding destination to visit, maybe for just a weekend or, hopefully for a longer period. You may be surprised at how many people who live in the United Kingdom of Britain who have never visited London, even more surprising when you are mindful of the fact it is most often top of the vast majority of visitors lists (of places they enjoyed most).
There is simply so much to see and do in London that it is simply not possible to list them all all in one go. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular – The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace is England’s most well known Royal residence, maybe because it is home to Queen Elizabeth II of England. The Palace is to be found at the heart of London which makes it an important focus for tourists. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is exhilarating to witness and typically English.
Buckingham Palace was originally referred to as Buckingham House. It was originally a large town house, constructed in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse that forms the main core of the palace as we know it today.
Over the subsequent 75 years Buckingham House was increased in size by the building of an additional 3 wings around a central courtyard. The primary architects responsible for these constructions were John Nash and Edward Blore. It was also John Nash who was responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.
The famous architect Aston Webb was responsible for the construction of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which, in 1912, he re-designed. Webb along with Sir Thomas Brock, the sculptor, were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial still exists today.
The Queen has various other royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Each and every year the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, over the Christmas period. Sandringham House is actually privately owned by the Queen (classed as a private royal residence.
A further private residence is Balmoral Castle, situated in Royal Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth was in Balmoral Castle when she was told about the tragic incident involving Diana (the ex-wife of Prince Charles).
If you would like to take a break in the United Kingdom you might be pleased to discover that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great effort, on the other hand you may wish to stay in more luxurious accommodation and the fine selection of boutique hotels in London should be more than satisfactory.
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