England is a most beautiful and wonderful country in which to take a vacation. It has a great many visitor attractions to visit enough to satisfy all tastes. There is the historic city of York which dates back to Roman times, Torquay (referred to as the English Riviera) and Liverpool (2008’s European City of Culture). One place to spend some time in, and that shouldn’t be missed, is London the capital city of the United kingdom of Great Britain
London is an astounding city to visit, maybe for just a weekend or, hopefully for longer. You would be surprised at the number of folk who reside in the U. K. who have failed to visit London, this is especially surprising when you are mindful of the fact it is commonly top of most visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).
There is simply so much to see and do in London that it is not possible to list them all at once. 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 the Queen of England. The 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 very interesting to watch and ever so English.
Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House. It was originally a large townhouse, constructed in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse that forms the main core of the palace as we know it today.
Throughout the following seventy five years Buckingham House was made larger by the building of an additional 3 wings around a central courtyard. The primary architects responsible for these constructions were John Nash and Edward Blore. It was also John Nash who was responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.
The well known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the construction 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 standing today.
The Queen has a number of royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Each and every year the Queen spends Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk. Sandringham House is a private royal residence (owned by the Queen).
Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, situated in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth was at Balmoral Castle when she heard of the heartbreaking death of Diana (the ex-wife of Prince Charles).
If you would like to take a vacation in the United Kingdom you may be surprised to learn 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 accommodation and the small selection of boutique hotels in London should more than satisfy.
