The first meeting with the city

I was in London . I saw the London Eye (What can I say about London ay This is the biggest Ferris wheel in the world ( and the biggest Ferris wheel I rode :)). Riding it was weird but awesome.) , Big Ben (It’s a pity that it hasn’t been restored yet 🙁 . ), the Tower of London (a fortress on the North Bank of the Thames . Straight All such a majestic, terrible, and not for nothing . There was a prison there in 1190 ), but what surprised me most was the Buckingham Palace ( Or rather, its history:) ) .The history of the Palace began in the XVIII century. The architectural masterpiece of Buckingham house was built by order of the Duke of Buckingham. The owner was not happy with the new house – he could smell mold everywhere, although the others did not notice it. Soon the Duke died, and the widowed wife could no longer live within the walls of this house – every object reminded her of her husband. She left and soon died of grief. The Duke’s heir has put Buckingham Palace up for sale.

George III was interested in this beautiful building. He was looking for a new private residence – the previous one was not suitable in size and decoration. In 1762, Buckingham house passed into the hands of the monarch, who began a large-scale restoration. At the same time, a large library was built, and the rooms were decorated with paintings by Italian artists.

The residence changed its name – now it was called “the Queen’s House”. Most of the time, the monarch’s wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, was the mistress of the house, and George III visited her from time to time. Frequent visitors to Buckingham Palace were artists who painted portraits of all members of the Royal family of England. Later, the complex was “enchanted” by famous architects who created three similar buildings and combined them into a single ensemble. In the center is a spacious courtyard.

At the beginning of the XIX century, Buckingham Palace was officially declared the residence of the British monarchs. The beginning of the reign of Queen Victoria, who paid great attention to this masterpiece. The reconstruction also affected the interior, an additional wing was also created, and the location of the main entrance was changed. We have arranged gardens, waterfalls and lakes.
The people did not like this change. The restoration cost 700 thousand pounds-a large sum by the standards of the XIX century. In difficult times for the country, this seemed an unacceptable luxury. But the changes continued. In the 60s, they completed the creation of a ballroom and used it for the first time for a reception in honor of the end of the Crimean war.

At first, the interior of the house was created in the Georgian style. During the reign of Edward VII, the decor was changed to French art Nouveau, and some rooms were decorated with Chinese themes. Today, Buckingham Palace continues to serve the Royal family – there are celebrations and receptions of national significance.

I wish everyone to visit it because it is a very impressive and inspiring place .

Since we went on the tour early, I had to sleep on the Bus, but I didn’t sleep in double Decker and enjoyed the view .

Author : Vladislava Filina