BUCKINGHAM PALACE 6

BUCKINGHAM PALACE located in the City of Westminster is a royal residence in London and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom-often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality and a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning
Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837
A German bomb destroyed the palace chapel during the Second World War; the King's Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection
The palace has 775 rooms, and the garden is the largest private garden in London
Many of the palace's contents are part of the Royal Collection
They can on occasion be viewed by the public at the King's Gallery near the Royal Mews
The palace was designated a Grade I listed building in 1970
Its state rooms have been open to the public during August and September and on some dates throughout the year since 1993
The palace, like Windsor Castle, is owned by the reigning monarch in right of the Crown
Occupied royal palaces are not part of the Crown Estate nor are they the monarch's personal property, unlike Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle
The Government of the United Kingdom is responsible for maintaining the palace in exchange for the profits made by the Crown Estate
A 10-year / £369 million was approved by the UK PM in November 2016 House of Commons backed funding in 2017 to extend the life by 50 years funded by a temporary increase in the Sovereign Grant paid from the income of the Crown Estate
Buckingham Palace is a symbol and home of the British monarchy an art gallery and a tourist attraction
Every year some 50000 invited guests are entertained at garden parties, receptions, audiences and banquets
Three garden parties are held in the summer-usually in July
The forecourt of Buckingham Palace is used for the Changing of the Guard, a major ceremony and tourist attraction (daily from April to July; every other day in other months)
INTERIOR
The front of the palace measures 355 feet (108 m) across by 390 feet (120 m) deep by 80 feet (24 m) high and contains over 830000 square feet (77000 m2) of floorspace
There are 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices 78 bathrooms, 52 principal bedrooms and 19 state rooms
It also has a post office, cinema, swimming pool, doctor's surgery and jeweller's workshop
The royal family occupy a small suite of private rooms in the north wing
PRINCIPAL ROOMS
The principal rooms are contained on the first-floor piano nobile behind the west-facing garden façade at the rear of the palace
The centre of this ornate suite of state rooms is the Music Room
Its large bow the dominant feature of the façade. Flanking the Music Room are the Blue and the White Drawing Rooms
At the centre of the suite, serving as a corridor to link the state rooms is the Picture Gallery which is top-lit and 55 yards (50 m) long
Other rooms leading from the Picture Gallery are the Throne Room and the Green Drawing Room
The Green Drawing Room serves as a huge anteroom to the Throne Room, and is part of the ceremonial route to the throne from the Guard Room at the top of the Grand Staircase
SEMI-STATE APARTMENTS
Directly underneath the state apartments are the less grand semi-state apartments-used for less formal entertaining, such as luncheon parties and private audiences
At the centre of this floor is the Bow Room, through which thousands of guests pass annually to the monarch's garden parties
1844 Room (decorated for the state visit of Nicholas I of Russia) and the 1855 Room (in honour of the visit of Napoleon III of France)
EAST WING
Many of the rooms in the new wing have a distinctly oriental atmosphere. The red and blue Chinese Luncheon Room is made up of parts of the Brighton Banqueting and Music Rooms with a large oriental chimneypiece
The Yellow Drawing Room has hand-painted Chinese wallpaper supplied in 1817 for the Brighton Saloon
It has nodding mandarins in niches and fearsome winged dragons
At the centre of this wing is the famous balcony with the Centre Room behind its glass doors. This is a Chinese-style saloon
GARDEN AND SORROUNDINGS
At the rear of the palace is the large and park-like garden, which together with its lake is the largest private garden in London
It covers 17 ha (42 acres) and includes a helicopter landing area, a lake and a tennis court
Adjacent to the palace is the Royal Mews where the royal carriages, including the Gold State Coach, coach horses, cars used by Royal Family are housed
THE MALL is a ceremonial approach route to the palace designed by Aston Webb and completed in 1911 as part of a grand memorial to Queen Victoria
It extends from Admiralty Arch, across St James's Park to the Victoria Memorial concluding at the entrance gates into the palace forecourt
On VE Day-8 May 1945-the palace was the centre of British celebrations