England's most famous royal palace, and the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, Buckingham Palace opens the doors of its State Rooms to the public every summer. Originally acquired by King George III for his wife Queen Charlotte, Buckingham House was increasingly known as the 'Queen's House' and 14 of George III's children were born there. On his accession to the throne, George IV decided to convert the house into a palace and employed John Nash to help him extend the building. Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to live here (from 1837). The State Rooms are now still used by the Royal Family to receive and entertain guests on State and ceremonial occasions. Visitors can admire some of the more unusual gifts received by the current Queen, including drawings by Salvador Dali, an embroidered silk scarf from Nelson Mandela and a grove of maple trees. Decorated in lavish fashion, the rooms include paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Canaletto, Vermeer and Poussin, sculpture by Canova, exquisite examples of Svres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world. The Ball Supper Room, the setting for a host of sparkling events in the history of the palace, 29-acre gardens and annual exhibitions are all also available to visitors.
What's on at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace Summer Opening 1st August 2010 - 28th September 2010 For two months in the summer, throughout August and September,...
Price: £15.30 (Adults)
Victoria & Albert: Art & Love 19th March 2010 - 31st October 2010 You only have to look at the Victoria and Albert...
Inn The Park
St James's Park, SW1A 2BA
Idyllic setting, terrace views and Peyton cuisine in St James's Park
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Chesterfield Mayfair
35 Charles Street, W1J 5EB
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Virgin London Marathon 2010
Starts - Greenwich Park, SE10 9NF
25th April 2010
Every April, 30,000 runners flood the streets of the capital to do battle with themselves... More
Buckingham Palace Summer Opening
Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA
1st August - 28th September 2010
For two months in the summer, throughout August and September, visitors have the chance... More
Neo-Byzantine Roman Catholic Church.
London’s only example of neo-Byzantine architecture and principal Roman Catholic Church, offers a magnificent campanile that emerges 274 feet into the sky. ... More
Once Buckingham Palace's resident chapel, the Queen's Gallery was opened in 1962 and holds regularly changing exhibitions. It allows the general public glimpses of rarely ... More
A landmark triumphal arch set opposite the Duke of Wellington's residence at Apsley House, Wellington Arch was built in 1830 to commemorate the victories won ... More
The tenth best hotel in Europe (according to New Yorker's tourist Bible 'Travel and Leisure') is so close to Buckingham Palace you can almost hear ... More
For two months in the summer, throughout August and September, visitors have the chance to look round Buckingham Palace and admire the interiors of this ...More
Anyone can submit to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition, the world's largest open-submission contemporary art exhibition, which gives it a wonderful element of surprise. The ...More
Cheek by jowl with Buckingham Palace and owned by the same family for three generations, The Goring is part of the British establishment. Appropriately, given ... More
Mango Tree does make you breathe a peaceful sigh when you walk into its cool, calm interior, especially coming (as you will) off of traffic-whizzing ... More
The Instituto is the official Spanish Government Cultural Centre. The London branch is one of forty that make up the largest Spanish teaching organisation in ...More
Catalyst personal trainers are among the best in London. Get fit without doing yourself an injury, lose weight with a specially devised programme or build ... More
A favourite with young royals - Princes Harry and William, Princesses
Beatrice and Eugenie have been spotted here... all at the same time. And
where ... More
Between the Victorian elegance of Berkley Square and the Imperial magnificence of Piccadilly, you might be surprised to find a club that oozes with Eastern ... More
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For two months in the summer, throughout August and September, visitors have the chance to look round Buckingham Palace and admire the interiors of this ... More
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