Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace, London, England. It is one of the capital's principal tourist attractions. Part of the palace is open to the public.

The Royal Guard on parade in London, England. In 1689, the court moved to St James's Palace, which was guarded by the Foot Guards. When Queen Victoria moved into Buckingham Palace in 1837, the Queen's Guard remained at St James's Palace, with a detachment guarding Buckingham Palace, as it still does today.

London home of the British sovereign, it stands at the west end of St James's Park. The original Buckingham House, begun in 1703 for the 1st Duke of Buckingham, was sold to George III in 1761. George IV obtained a parliamentary grant for its repair and enlargement, but instead he and the architect, John Nash, began a new building (1821-26). The palace was incomplete at George IV's death in 1830, when Nash was displaced by Edward Blore, who reputedly covered most of Nash's work. The Queen's Gallery presents exhibitions of portions of the royal collections, and the state rooms and Royal Mews are also open to visitors.

It is difficult to ascertain how much of the finished building was Blore's design or as Nash intended. Nash's gateway was removed in 1851 and became Marble Arch. William IV did not like the palace, and it did not become a regular royal residence until the accession of Queen Victoria. In 1914 a new facade by Aston Webb replaced Blore's. The palace retains a park of 17 ha/42 acres. The state rooms are of sumptuous grandeur; the great ballroom, added in 1856, measures 37 m/123 ft by 18 m/59 ft.