Buckingham Palace And London, England, Vacations

England is a most wonderful nation in which to spend a vacation. It has a large number of| tourist attraction|places of interest to visit to suit all tastes. There is the historic city of York which is known to have been inhabited since the days of the Roman Empire, Torquay (referred to as the English Riviera) and Liverpool (2008's European City of Culture). If visiting England you really must make an effort to spend some time in the capital city of London

London is a most astounding destination to visit, maybe for just a weekend or, possibly for longer. You would be surprised at the number of folk living in the United Kingdom who have never visited London, even more surprising when you ponder on the fact it is most often top of the vast majority of visitors lists (of places they enjoyed most).

There are so many things to do and see in London that it is almost 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 well known Royal residence, maybe because it is home to Queen Elizabeth. The Palace is positioned right in the very center of London which makes it the perfect focus for tourists. The daily pageant of 'Changing of the Guard' is fascinating to watch and amazingly 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 town house which forms the main core of the palace as we are familiar with today.

During the subsequent seventy five years Buckingham House was extended with the building of three wings creating a central courtyard. The primary architects responsible for these constructions were Edward Blore and John Nash. John Nash was also responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.

The famous architect Aston Webb was responsible for the creation of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which, in 1912, he re-designed. Webb along 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 various other royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Annually the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, over Christmas. Sandringham House is one of the Queen's private royal residences.

A further private residence is Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Queen was in residence at Balmoral Castle when she heard of the untimely demise of Diana.

If you would like to take a break in the United Kingdom then you might 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 small number of boutique hotels in London should more than satisfy.