Buckingham Palace A Top Class Visitor Attraction

England is a most beautiful and wonderful country in which to take a vacation. It has a large number of| visitor attractions to visit which cater for all tastes. For example the historic city of York which dates back to the days of the Roman Empire, Liverpool, and Torquay known as the English Riviera. One place, in England that you really must spend some time is the capital city of London

London is an amazing destination to visit, possibly just for a weekend or, maybe for longer. You would be surprised at the number of folk who reside in the United Kingdom of Britain who have not yet visited London, even more surprising when you ponder on the fact it is most often top of most visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).

There is simply so much to see and do in London that it is not possible to list them all all in one go. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular – The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is England’s most famous Royal residence, as it is home to the Queen. The Palace is to be found right in the very heart of London which makes it the perfect focus for visitors. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is highly interesting to watch and typically English.

Buckingham Palace was originally named Buckingham House. It was originally a large town house, built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the town house that forms the main core of the palace as we know it today.

Throughout the subsequent 3 quarters of a century Buckingham House was extended by the building of an additional three wings forming a central courtyard. The main architects responsible for these additions were Edward Blore and John Nash. John Nash was also responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.

The widely known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the building of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which, in 1912, he re-designed. Webb together with Sir Thomas Brock (the sculptor) were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial still exists today.

The Queen has a few other royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Every year the Queen spends Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk. Sandringham House is actually privately owned by the Queen (classed as a private royal residence.

Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, in Royal Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Queen was at Balmoral Castle when she was informed of the tragic incident involving Princess Diana.

If you would like to take a break in England you may be surprised to learn that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great difficulty, on the other hand you may wish to reside in more luxurious surroundings and the fine selection of boutique hotels in London should more than satisfy.