Buckingham Palace And London Vacations
England is an incredibly beautiful|a most amazing nation in which to spend a vacation. There are an awesome selection of visitor attractions to visit to suit all tastes. For example the historical city of York which dates back to the days of the Romans, Torquay (referred to as the English Riviera) and Liverpool (2008’s European City of Culture). One of the most interesting, and famous, places to spend some time in is the capital city of London
London is an amazing location to visit, either just for a weekend or, hopefully for a longer period. You may be surprised at the number of folk living in the United Kingdom of Britain who have not visited London, even more surprising when you ponder on the fact it is commonly top of the vast majority of visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).
There literarily so many things to see and do in London that it is quite impossible to list them all at the same time. 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, possibly because it is home to the Queen of England. Buckingham Palace is positioned right in the very heart of London which makes it a natural focus for visitors. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is exhilarating to witness and ever so English.
Buckingham Palace was originally referred to as Buckingham House. It was originally a large townhouse, constructed in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse that forms the main core of the palace as we know it today.
During the following 75 years Buckingham House was made larger with the building of an additional three wings forming a central courtyard. The main architects responsible for these constructions were John Nash and Edward Blore. John Nash was also responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.
The well known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the creation 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 is still standing today.
The Queen has a number of royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Each and every year the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, over the Christmas season. Sandringham House is one of the Queen’s private royal residences.
Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, found in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth was in Balmoral Castle when she was told of the shocking death of Diana (the former wife of Prince Charles).
If you would like to take a break in the United Kingdom you may be surprised to discover that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great effort, on the other hand you may wish to reside in more luxurious accommodation and the fine selection of boutique hotels in London should be more than satisfactory.
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