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Buckingham
Palace Official Web Site |
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Buckingham
Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's
sovereigns since 1837.
It evolved from a town house that was owned from the beginning of
the eighteenth century by the Dukes of Buckingham. Today it is The
Queen's official residence.
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Changing
of the Guard
What most
people come here for is the Changing of the Guard staged by the front
entrance late morning, 11:30 a.m. Daily during peak summer months
(May to July) then every other day at other times.
Known as Changing the Guard or Guard Mounting, the process involves
a new guard exchanging duty with the old guard. The soldiers are drawn
from one of the five regiments of Foot Guards in the British Army:
the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, the Welsh Guards, the Grenadier
Guards and the Coldstream Guards. The handover is accompanied by a
Guards band. The music played ranges from traditional military marches
to songs from the shows and even familiar pop songs. When
The Queen is in residence, there are four sentries at the front of
the building. When she is away there are two.
Many people are disappointed by this, the crowds also make it difficult
to get decent photographs. There is no 'performance' if it rains.
You may find it more enjoyable to go over the other side of St James
Park to Whitehall where another Changing of the Guard takes place
Changing of the Guard here takes place daily at 11.00 am (10.00 am
on Sundays) and lasts about half an hour
Here there are less crowds and no palace railings in your way of good
photographs. You are also much, much closer to the Guards themselves
and photo opportunities are far superior.
Although
in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen,
areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitors on a regular basis.
Visiting
Buckingham Palace
The State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual
Summer Opening in August and September. They are lavishly furnished
with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection -
paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and
Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey; exquisite examples of
Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French
furniture in the world.
Visits to Buckingham Palace can be combined with visits to The Queen's
Gallery, which reopened in May 2002. The nearby Royal Mews is open
throughout the year.
Admission is by timed ticket with entry every 15 minutes throughout
the day. Tickets are valid only on the date and at the entrance
time specified on the ticket. Regrettably, latecomers cannot be
admitted.
A visit
lasts between 2 and 2½ hours.
From
April to October it is possible to visit the Royal Mews at Buckingham
Palace, the working stables for the royalty. You will see displays
of carriages and cars used for ceremonial and state occasions there.
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Getting
to Buckingham Palace:
The independent
visitor will need to walk for about 10-15 minutes from the nearest
Underground stations and buses.
Nearest is Victoria from where the palace is signposted. Nicest is
to walk across Green Park, from Green Park Underground. |
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Buckingham
Palace is at the western end of St James Park/Green Park. It is a
very nice short walk to wander across St James Park, much of it by
the lake to Westminster or Whitehall. Here you will find such icons
as Big Ben, London Eye and 10 Downing Street.
The very popular hop
on, hop off London tour buses of course also stop at the British
Museum. |
| Self
Guided London Icons Walk Including Buckingham Palace |
Join
us on our step by step self guided walking tour of London's main tourist
icons.
Includes Big Ben, London Eye, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham
Palace, Westminster Abbey and much, much more.
Simple to follow instructions and street map and best of all its FREE!
London
Icons Walk Details |
Buckingham
Palace from St James's Park |
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Discovering
London - 8-9 hours |
You
will visit Westminster Abbey, changing of the guard at Buckingham
Palace, St-Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London, The City of London,
and enjoy a River Thames cruise and a pub lunch.
The tour operates daily.
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Westminster
Abbey & Buckingham Palace
3 hours |
Westminster
Abbey - the country's most important church and has been the site
of every coronation since 1066. Tour includes Royal Chapels,poet's
corner and much more. Next drive to Buckingham Palace to witness the
pageantry of the Changing of the Guard.
Royal Buildings along the Mall - Learn about royal buildings and see
Prince Charles' London home.
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