Building Buckingham Palace: History and Facts
Buckingham Palace is a building that represents the British Royal Family. With over 500,000 visitors every year, Buckingham Palace is the administrative headquarters for the Queen and the Royal Family. From daily life to celebrations such as the Queen’s Jubilee it is the center of the British Monarchy. But what is the history of the building? It is not nearly as old or as ingrained in British history as you might think.
British Royalty Before Buckingham
The very first monarch to build a stable and all-encompassing rule over Anglo-Saxon England was Egbert. When he began his rule in 827, he was kicking off a long line of first Saxon Kings which evolved into Norman King's - first with William The Conqueror in 1066 - and down through a number of families including York, Tudors, Stuarts, Cromwells, Hanoverians all the way to the current House of Windsor.
The British monarchs’ history is over 1500 years long with a number of people who have ruled England and the British Empire as its size grew and shrunk throughout history.
In the grand scheme of the royals, Buckingham Palace is really quite new. Over time, the main residence of the royal family has changed as new buildings were constructed and old palaces fell. The infamous King Henry the 8th lived at Hampton Court Palace. Whitehall Palace was also a popular residence for the royals. From 1531 - 1837 St. James Place was the preferred residence and acted as the center of the family. It is throughout this time, however, that the history of Buckingham Palace began.
The Land of Buckingham Palace
Buckingham sits in an area of London called Westminster. The land itself has been in the monarchy for over 400 years and used to primarily be marshland on the River Tyburn. King James I loved the area and used the land for gardens. The area had a grove of mulberry trees and King James wanted to grow silkworms to harvest silk. Silkworms only eat mulberry trees, oddly enough.
There was an old residence on the land that remained standing as owners of the gardens passed back and forth through history. In 1698 it was sold to John Sheffield, a nobleman known in the area. Sheffield would later be named the Duke of Buckingham and would be the namesake for the current palace.
The Construction of Buckingham
Much like the White House in Washington DC, Buckingham Palace was not built all at once and buildings and wings were added and updated throughout history. In the early 1700s Sheffield hired William Winde and John Fitch to design and build a new residence on the property. Completed around 1705, the house was named Buckingham House after Sheffield AKA Duke of Buckingham.
In 1761, King George III became fond of the property and house. He purchased it from one of John Sheffields’ descendants, Charles Sheffield. He paid 73,000 pounds for a complete renovation of the house and moved his wife - Queen Charlotte - and children into the building.
When King George moved his family into what was then called Buckingham House, he kickstarted generations of kings - and eventually queens - who were comfortable in the space and chose to use it as their main residence. Many renovations took place.
1820 Renovations Under John Nash
In 1820 King George IV hired John Nash, a notable architect at the time, to redesign and renovate Buckingham. He added West Wings to the building and expanded the house with a few branches that ultimately built out its U shape.
Many of these renovations were done in the neoclassical style. Neoclassical architecture is characterized by grandeur in scale and often includes columns, geometric shapes and simple designs.
In 1837, Buckingham Palace was officially named the London residence of the British Monarchy.
Materials Used in Buckingham
The history of Buckingham means that the materials and renovations would have been influenced by different eras and building practices.
The main material used in the construction of the palace is Oolitic Limestone. This type of limestone is unique because studies have found fossilized remains of microbes that date back to the Jurassic period - 200 million years ago. This type of limestone was popular for many buildings in London and England. In fact, it was the primary stone used in the construction of the city of Bath.
Construction in the 18th Century
Leaving the 17th century and entering the 1700s, Buckingham Palace was built at a time when construction technology was advancing faster than it had in the past. During the 18th-century engineering and construction became a much more professional and recognized profession. Science and math were becoming much more sophisticated and the design of large buildings such as Buckingham Palace reflected this advancement. Iron wasn’t quite as widely available or used at the time of construction of the original house but would have been used in renovations that happened in later years.
The 1820 renovations would have marked a turning point for building on the old Buckingham house. Steam engines, explosives, steel framing and the mass production of glass panes would have provided much more variety and choice for the architect than would have been possible in the past.
It was 1883 when electricity was added to Buckingham Palace - over 200 years after John Sheffield built his first home. The gate which now surrounds the Palace was added in 1911 as an extra layer of protection for the family as London continued to grow.
Buckingham Palace Today
Buckingham Palace today is over 830,000 square feet large, with 775 rooms. It has its own post office, movie theater, pool, doctors’ surgery and is home to the largest private gardens in all of London. Queen Elizabeth has lived in Buckingham since 1952 and the Palace will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 to mark 70 years of her reign.
Jubilees are held by the Royal family estate to celebrate significant milestones of monarch rule. Queen Elizabeth is the longest-reigning monarch in British history and has celebrated her Silver, Golden and Diamond jubilees in 1977, 2002 and 2012 respectively.
Today, the Royal Family uses Buckingham Palace as a venue for the Changing of the Guard ceremony, wedding celebrations, significant national celebrations, and Her Majesty’s famous Garden Parties. Garden Parties are attended by members of the Royal Family and members of the Commonwealth to celebrate volunteerism. Her Majesty the Queen, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and other working Royals, attend these events every year on Buckingham Palace grounds.
A Ceremonial Building with a Long Royal History
Buckingham Palace isn’t just the home to the Queen or a popular London tourist destination. It is a building that represents the long history of the monarchy, the grandeur of the Royal Family and the history of England.
