Things To Do And See In London, England, Buckingham Palace

England is an incredibly beautiful|a most amazing country in which to spend a little time. It has a great many visitor attractions well worth a visit perfectly suited for all tastes. For example the ancient city of York which dates back to the days of the Roman Empire, Liverpool (European City of Culture 2008), and Torquay (often called the English Riviera). One of the most famous, and interesting, places to visit is the capital city of London

London is a most astounding city to visit, maybe for just a weekend or, possibly for longer. You may be surprised at how many folk residing in the United Kingdom of Great Britain who have never visited London, this is especially surprising when you consider the fact it is most often top of most visitors lists (of places they enjoyed most).

There are a multitude of things to do and see in London that it is not possible 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 well known Royal residence, being home to Queen Elizabeth. Buckingham Palace is is placed right in the very center of London which makes it an important focus for tourists. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is incredibly interesting to watch and amazingly English.

Buckingham Palace was originally called Buckingham House. It was originally a large townhouse, built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse which forms the main core of the palace as we are familiar with today.

Over the following 75 years Buckingham House was extended by the construction of an additional three wings creating a central courtyard. The primary 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 widely 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 seen today.

The Queen has a number of royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Every year the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, during Christmas. Sandringham House is privately owned by the Queen (a private royal residence).

Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, situated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Queen was staying in Balmoral Castle when she was informed about the untimely incident involving Diana (the ex-wife of Prince Charles).

If you would like to take a vacation in the U.K. you may be surprised to hear 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 be more than satisfactory.

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