Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the England's most famous landmark. It is the official London residence and workplace of the British monarch. It is located in the City of Westminster, London.

Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. The original building was constructed as a country house in 1705 by the duke of Buckingham, John Sheffield. King George III bought the house in 1761 for his wife and had it altered by William Chambers. In 1826, King George IV asked famed architect John Nash to expand the house - then known as Buckingham House - into a palace. A part of the palace is still used by the Royal family. A flag is hoisted each time the Queen is in the Palace. The palace is not only home to the royal family; there are also a number of staff members living here. Over 800 members of staff are based at Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the quadrangle) and 24 metres high. The total floor area of the Palace, from basement to roof, covers over 77,000 square metres. It has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high. There are 1,514 doors and 760 windows. Buckingham Palace contains approximately 350 clocks and watches, making it the largest collection anywhere in the world. Buckingham Palace is an office for the Head of State, as well as a home for The Queen. A flag flies when the queen is in residence. A Union flag flies when the queen is not at home.

Buckingham Palace's garden covers 40 acres, and includes a helicopter landing area, a lake, and a tennis court. It is home to 30 different species of bird and more than 350 different wild flowers, some extremely rare. As well as being the venue for summer garden parties, it has been the setting for a charity tennis competition (2000), pop and classical music concerts (2002) and a children's party featuring a host of characters from children's books (2006). The Palace has also been open to members of the public to visit. More than 50,000 people visit Buckingham Palace each year, either officially or as guests. It can be visited during a couple of months in the summer - when the Royal Family is not in the palace - including the lavishly decorated State Rooms: the Throne Room, Green Drawing Room, Silk Tapestry Rooms, Picture Gallery, State Dining Room, Blue Drawing Room, Music Room and White Drawing Room. It’s impossible to list all the interesting facts about Buckingham Palace in one article.