BUCKINGHAM PALACE ADDRESS: BUCKINGHAM PALACE LONDON SW1A 1AA phone 020 7766 7300 nearest train station: Westminster 0.3 miles (0.5 km)

Buckingham palace is located between Green Park and St James’s Park with its gardens backing onto Hyde Park Corner.
Buckingham Palace was originally a town house in the early 1700’s and eventually became the official London residence from reigning monarchs from 1837 when Queen Victoria took up residence. In the early 18th Century the building was actually called Buckingham House named after its original owner, the Duke of Buckingham. In 1762 King George III had the house redesigned by Sir William Chambers to more suit his needs and then again in 1820 King George IV carried more work to create a pied-à-terre. However in 1826 he decided to hire John Nash to turn Buckingham House into a palace. This led to a doubling of the size of the main building. It was at this time that Marble Arch was created at the palace, later to be moved to its current location at the top of Park Lane. King George IV died in 1830 before the palace was finished and the construction was then completed by his brother William IV. John Nash was actually sacked before the work was finished because of spiralling costs. Edward Blore was commissioned for the completion of the original plans.
Some areas have been opened up to the public since the fire at Windsor Castle in 1992. The areas were opened up in order to raise money towards the repairs and have remained open at certain times of the year (August and September) ever since. The palace is used as a mix of residential rooms, state rooms and offices. The State rooms that the public can view are filled with treasures from the Royal Collection that includes paintings, porcelain, furniture and sculptures by some of the great masters of the past.

The Guard Change takes place at 11:30 daily from April until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year, weather permitting

5 August - 29 September
Buckingham Palace operates a timed-ticket system, with admission every 15 minutes throughout the day.

Opening hours:
09:30 - last admission 16:15 every day

website: www.royal.gov.uk

Buckingham Palace Pictures

There are charges for this attraction