Around the World. London. Buckingham Palace

Today, my dear friends, I'd like we to visit majestic Buckingham Palace in London . It's, no doubt, one of the first- ranked attractions in London. The palace is located in the Westminster district of London within St. James Park.. The park is opend to the public and is home to a large collection of live birds from around the world which was started during the reign of Charles II. 

 It is accessible from the tube and busses. Victoria Station is just to the south.It's a right time to explore it, because  in August and September it's available for visitors. Do you know, that  it was firstly opened to the public in 1993?

Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official and main royal London home. It has been the official London residence of Britain's monarchy since 1837. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live there  . That's why just right in front of the building of the palace you can see  the Queen Victoria Memorial guarded by four lions .

Buckingham Palace was originally a grand house built by the Dukes of Buckingham for his wife. George IV began transforming it into a palace in 1826.

Do you know, that  when the Queen is at home, you can see her royal flag flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace? This flag is called the Royal Standard.

Buckingham Palace is a huge building. It  has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high. The rooms are  furnished and decorated with priceless works of art that form part of the Royal Collection, one of the major art collections in the world today.

Would you like to see some of the halls of  Buckingham Palace?

 

 The Grand Staircase at Buckingham Palace

                                            The Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace

 The Throne Room at Buckingham Palace

 The White Drawing at Buckingham Palace

                                                   The State Dining Room at Buckingham Palace

 While the state apartments are only open to the public in summer (August-September), the Queen's Gallery and the Royal Mews are both open to the Public for longer periods. In the Queens Gallery, you can see works of art from the Royal Collection.

In the Royal Mews, state coaches and carriages are displayed, including the Gold State Coach used in every coronation since 1762. The stables are also open to the public

                                                      The Gold State Coach

Changing of the Guard

The changing of the guard happens in front of Buckingham Palace. It's colourful and attracts a lot of tourists. The ceremony begins at 11:30, May through August. The frequency is reduced to alternate days from September to April. The time, according to some, varies, so get there a bit early.

So, if you have an opportuninty, go to London this summer  and see it in your own eyes ! 

See you soon! 

Irina

The sourses:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/theroyalresidences/buckinghampalace/buckinghampalace.aspx

http://goeurope.about.com/cs/unitedkingdom/p/buckingham.htm