Buckingham Palace and Queen's Gallery
Buckingham Palace and Queen's Gallery
Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch.
Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visitors every year.
Buckingham Palace 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.
The Palace is very much a working building and the centrepiece of Britain's constitutional monarchy. It houses the offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family.
The Palace is also the venue for great Royal ceremonies, State Visits and Investitures, all of which are organised by the Royal Household.
Buckingham Palace is furnished and decorated with priceless works of art which form part of the Royal Collection, one of the major art collections in the world today.
More than 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and the Royal Garden Parties.
State Rooms
Enjoy a leisurely day out at Buckingham Palace and combine a ticket to the State Rooms with a guided tour of the most remarkable features of the famous garden.
The Garden Highlights Tour includes the beautiful Herbaceous Border, the wisteria-clad summer house and Rose Garden, the enormous Waterloo Vase and the Palace tennis court, where King George VI and Fred Perry played in the 1930s. The 39-acre garden is today the setting for The Queen's Garden Parties. Described as 'a walled oasis in the middle of London', it boasts more than 350 types of wild flower, over 200 trees and a three-acre lake.
Between the audio tour of the State Rooms and the guided tour of the garden, the itinerary allows time for your group to take in the panoramic view of the lawn from the Garden Café and to visit the Garden shop.
Price includes an audio tour of the State Rooms in nine languages and a guided tour of the garden in English.
The Queen's Gallery
The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace was constructed forty years ago out of the bomb-damaged ruins of the former private chapel. The Gallery underwent extensive refurbishment and expansion to celebrate The Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 and was reopened by Her Majesty on 21 May that year.
The Queen's Gallery hosts a programme of changing exhibitions from the Royal Collection. For visitor information, please click HERE.
Key Stage 2-5
Focussing on the paintings, sculptures, decorative furniture and drawings featured in The First Georgians, pupils will examine sources to inform their writing and explore the themes of description, dialogue and monologue.
The Georgian 'Selfie': The Art of the Conversation Piece
1.5 hours
Key Stage 2-5
In this art-focused session, led by a professional artist, pupils will investigate the beginning of the Georgian era through elements from the exhibition, linking them to their understanding of today's world.
Life drawing
4 hours
Key Stage 5
Students will work with freelance artists to examine and draw the human body both in life and through the drawings, paintings and sculptures within the exhibition.
Did you know? In 2014 the royal family welcomed over 62,000 guests to Buckingham Palace, at State Visits, receptions, Garden Parties, Investitures and private audiences.
Did you know? One of the favourite exhibitions of recent years saw the toys of nine generations of royal children on display. It gave an unprecedented glimpse into life as a young member of the royal family over 250 years. Amongst the items on display were the spectacular silver-gilt Lily Font, commissioned by Queen Victoria for the christening of her first daughter Princess Victoria in 1841, the silk-satin and lace christening robe worn by Prince George of Cambridge and the progress book of Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen, which documents her first tooth (26 January 1927), and the moment she began to crawl (11 April 1927).
Did you know? The present royal family is often given animals as presents. The Queen in her reign has received, amongst others, a bear, two sloths, a crocodile, an elephant, a horse and a canary.