The Buckingham Palace is the residence and workplace of monarchs of the United Kingdom. Located within the City of Westminster, the palace has been a focus for British people at the time of national rejoice and celebrations. One of the prolific gatherings around this place in the past few years can easily be the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Not only were the streets around the palace bustling with activity, locals and foreign population, there was a global buzz across newspapers and news channels who spent all their time covering this iconic marriage celebration. Originally known as Buckingham House, the building that makes the core of the palace was exclusively a townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. It was acquired by King George III in 1761, and in 1837 it became the official royal palace for British monarch after the accession of Queen Victoria. As per a post on wikipedia.org, every year close to 50,000 invited guests get entertained at the garden parties and banquets in Buckingham Palace. If you too want to visit this historic tourist attraction, look for hotels near Buckingham Palace or budget hotels in Central London for close proximity to this destination.
Modern History of the Buckingham Palace
Over several years this site has undergone several breakdowns and reconstructions. For example the palace chapel was completely destroyed during World War II by the Germans and it was only in 1962 that the area was rebuilt and made accessible to the public. Also, during World War I, the palace was home to King George V and Queen Mary who had its most valuable contents moved to the Windsor castle. During the Second World War, apart from the German attack, the palace was bombed on less than seven occasions. Coverage of such events was played in cinemas all over UK to depict the common suffering of both rich and poor people. One of the bombs fell in the palace quadrangle while Queen Elizabeth and King George VI were in residence. Apart from such incidents there were many other windows and chapels destroyed beyond repair. All of these damages were restored after the War ended by John Mowlem & Co. In May 1945, the palace was a centre of British celebrations when the King, Queen and two princesses appeared in the balcony with blacked-out windows and were greeted with cheers by the awaiting crowds. On your trip to London staying at a hotel near Buckingham Palace such as Sidney Hotel London is a good idea since it is hardly a short distance from the place.
The palace today
The palace measures 108 metres by 120 metres, contains over 77,000 m2 (830,000 sq ft) of floor space and is 24 metres high. The principle rooms of the palace include music room, blue and the white drawing rooms, Throne room, guard room, grand staircase and the picture gallery. Tourists and locals can easily consider getting a tour which lasts less than 3 hours and involves a hefty fee. Do not forget to look for budget hotels in Central London such as Sidney Hotel London so that you do not waste time travelling.
