Queen Victoria Statue in front of Buckingham Palace
Changing of the Guard - Buckingham Palace
https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/what-to-see-and-do/changing-the-guard
When can I watch it?
Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace encompasses colorful spectacle and British pageantry. The ceremony lasts about 45 minutes between 11.00-11.45am on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from January to March, weather permitting.
The ceremony takes place on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 19 June 2017 and then takes place daily throughout the summer. Some variations to this schedule may take place - please see the provisional schedule below from the British Army.
What happens?
During the Changing the Guard ceremony, also known as ‘Guard Mounting’, one regiment takes over from another. The Queen’s Guard consists of the St James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace detachments. The New Guard, who during the course of the ceremony become The Queen’s Guard, march to Buckingham Palace from Wellington Barracks. Find out more about the ceremony with the Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace app, which is priced at 69p and is available for download here.
Provisional Schedule
For detailed schedules see the British Army website. Please note that this schedule is set by the British Army and is subject to change. If you have any queries about the schedule please contact the British Army through their website.
Background
The privilege of guarding the Sovereign traditionally belongs to the Household Troops, better known as ‘the Guards’, who have carried out this duty since 1660. For operational and other reasons, this privilege is periodically extended to other regiments of the British Army. The Guards consist of five infantry regiments - the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards - and two regiments of the Household Cavalry – the Life Guards and Blues and Royals. Most of the Guards will have seen action overseas.
The Guards came from the mall and turned left in front of us. The Victoria Statue is on the other side of them. I'd stepped out onto the street and walked toward the corner to see them coming. I could hear them marching. I was standing in the road to begin with and was told they would not 'give way' for me, so I stepped back up on the sidewalk. I was still just a foot or two from them as they walked by.
These guards walked in from the right, perpendicular to The Mall entryway.
**I'm recanting this all from memory in 2017, 34 years later. Hopefully it's right. Can't find the information on the internet.
https://www.mapsofworld.com/travel/destinations/england/the-buckingham-palace
You know your trip to London is incomplete if you haven’t been to the Buckingham Palace.An epitome of British monarchy, the palace stands for all that is British: its royalty, grandeur, culture, tradition, and also its evolution with time. Though it is neither a museum nor an art gallery, it has a treasured collection of rare works of art. If you have visited this palace, you have known “the City.”
History
Built in 1703, the Buckingham Palace was originally known as Buckingham House. It was then a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham. In 1761, King George III bought this property for his wife, Queen Charlotte for use as family residence. It came to be known as ‘The Queen’s House’. In the 1820s, architects John Nash and Edward Blore refurbished this building at the behest of George IV and it became Buckingham Palace.
Queen Victoria moved here in 1837 and thus became the first monarch to use the Buckingham Palace as her official residence. Since then, the palace has been serving as the official residence of Britain’s sovereign in London. When the soft French stone adorning the palace started turning grimy black due to industrial emissions, architect Sir Aston Webb redesigned it with white Portland stone facade in 1913.
Things to do in Buckingham Palace
Enjoy a Rendezvous with Royalty – The Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms of which the 19 state rooms are open to visitors from August to September when the Queen is away. Take a tour of these rooms and know about the cultural heritage of British monarchy.
Admire Rare Artworks – The State rooms have a collection of the Royal family’s sterling treasures which include fine English and French furniture besides paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin, and Canaletto.Enjoy Great Views – A guided tour through the palace will offer you some unique sights. Toward the end of your tour, you will reach the rear side of the Palace gardens that offer views of the west front of the Palace and the lake.
Watch the ‘Changing the Guard’ ceremony – The ceremony takes place on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace at 11.30 am everyday in summers and on alternating days during autumn and winter. This ceremony lasts for about quarter of an hour. In this, soldiers on duty at Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace are relieved by the ‘New Guard’. A military band plays music. The same band plays the ‘Happy Birthday’ song on birthdays of the members of the Royal Family.
Nearby Attractions
The Buckingham Palace is located at the center of London and surrounded by two royal parks. Other nearby attractions are the St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. James’s Palace and also the Trafalgar Square which is less than a mile away. The London Eye and Big Ben are also popular with tourists.
Buckingham Palace Map
Location Map of Buckingham Palace
Where is Buckingham Palace ?
Located at the heart of London, Buckingham Palace is nestled between St. James Park, Hyde Park, and Green Park.How to Reach?
By Air – It is about 11 miles away from London City Airport. Heathrow Airport is little over 15 miles from the palace.By Rail – The closest railway station is Charring Cross. One can easily reach Buckingham Palace by taking the tube. Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, and St. James’s Park are the nearest subway stations.
By Road – A number of domestic and international bus services cover the bus (also called coach) stations off Buckingham Palace Road. The Eurolines Bus Service and Megabus are two such. Megabus runs budget coach services to and from Victoria coach station connecting it with other parts of UK and Europe. Some important trunk roads that connect London with other parts of UK are M1, A1/A1 (M), M40/A40 and M4.
Accommodations
There are plenty of accommodations to choose from around Buckingham Palace. Shangri La, Claridge’s, The Connaught, and Goring are some of the finest luxury hotels. Dukes Hotel and Rubens At the Palace are pretty decent hotels close by. The Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, Suites and Residencies is less than a mile away. Venture Hostels, Bowden Court, and Travelodge on London Wembley High Road are ideal for budget travelers.Best Time to Visit
The Changing the Guard ceremony takes place at 11.30 am every day in summers and on alternate days in winters.If you want to tour the state rooms in the palace, then be there between August and September. This is the only time when the palace is opened to public as the Royal Family moves to Scotland.
Facts about Buckingham Palace
- The Palace has a helicopter landing area, a lake, and a tennis court.
- The garden inside the Palace is home to 30 different species of birds and over 350 wild flowers.
- The Ball Room is the largest in the palace. Important state events take place here.
- The Ball Room was opened in 1856 to observe the end of Crimean War.
- The palace has 1,514 doors and 760 windows.
- Four Royal babies, including Prince William, were christened in the Music Room by Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Some rooms at the palace follow a Chinese style in terms of furniture and decor based on Prince Regent’s oriental-style pavilion at Brighton. It was sold by Queen Victoria to fund renovation of Buckingham Palace.
Things to Remember
- Visit timings are between 9:15 am and 7:45 pm from 30th July to 31st August every day and between 9:15 am and 6:45 pm in September.
- Ticket bookings end two and a half hours prior to closing time.
- The guided audio tour rushes you around a little too quickly, so keep pace!
- There are provisions for visitors with disabilities at the Buckingham Palace. Wheelchair users should book ahead by contacting the Ticket Sales and Information Office.
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The Mall
The Mall (/ˈmæl/[1]) is a road in the City of Westminster, central London, between Buckingham Palace at its western end and Trafalgar Square via Admiralty Arch to the east. Before it terminates at Whitehall it is met by Horse Guards Road and Spring Gardens where the Metropolitan Board of Works and London County Council were once based. It is closed to traffic on Sundays, public holidays and on ceremonial occasions.
HistoryThe Mall began as a field for playing pall-mall. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was a fashionable promenade, bordered by trees.[2]
The Mall was envisioned as a ceremonial route in the early 20th century, matching the creation of similar ceremonial routes in other cities such as Berlin, Mexico City, Oslo, Paris, Saint Petersburg, Vienna and Washington, D.C. These routes were intended to be used for major national ceremonies. As part of the development – designed by Aston Webb – a new façade was constructed for Buckingham Palace, and the Victoria Memorial was erected.
The Queen Victoria Memorial is immediately before the gates of the Palace, whilst Admiralty Arch at the far end leads into Trafalgar Square. The length of The Mall from where it joins Constitution Hill at the Victoria Memorial end to Admiralty Arch is exactly 0.5 nautical miles (0.93 km; 0.58 mi). St. James's Park is on the south side of The Mall, opposite Green Park and St James's Palace, on the north side. Running off The Mall at its eastern end is Horse Guards Parade, where the Trooping the Colour ceremony is held.
The surface of The Mall is coloured red to give the effect of a giant red carpet leading up to Buckingham Palace. This colour was obtained using synthetic iron oxide pigment from Deanshanger Oxide Works (Deanox),[3][better source needed] which was created using the Deanox Process devised by chemist Ernest Lovell. It was David Eccles' decision, as Minister of Works from 1951 to 1954, to make The Mall red.
On VE Day (8 May 1945), the Palace was the centre of British celebrations, with the King, Queen and Princess Elizabeth (the future queen) and Princess Margaret appearing on the balcony, with the Palace's blacked-out windows behind them, to the cheers from a vast crowd on The Mall.[4]
During state visits, the monarch and the visiting head of state are escorted in a state carriage up The Mall and the street is decorated with Union Flags and the flags of the visiting head of state's country. During the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, over one million people packed The Mall to watch the public displays and the appearance of the Royal Family on the palace balcony. These scenes were repeated in 2011 for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and again in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and the Jubilee concert.[5]
Scheduled buses are not allowed to use the Mall and go past Buckingham Palace except by permission of the monarch. This has only happened twice in history; in 1927 and in 1950.[6]
Sporting events
The annual London Marathon finishes on The Mall.[7] It was also the start and finish line for the marathon course, the road race, and the race walks of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The women's marathon took place on 5 August and the men's Olympic marathon on 12 August. The men's 20 km walk took place on 4 August, with the men's 50 km walk and women's 20 km walk took place on 11 August. The Paralympic marathons were held on 9 September.[8][9] In recent years the Mall has also been repeatedly used as the finishing line for UK cycling events, including the 2012 Olympics Road Races, the Ride London Prudential Classic in 2013, and stage 3 of the 2014 Tour de France. The Race Walk events of the 2017 World Championships in Athletics will take place in the Mall on 13 August. It will be the first time the 3 events will take place the same day. It has been called Festival of Race Walks[10].Gallery
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Union Flags frequently decorate The Mall -
The Mall, during Le Tour 2014 - On the inside wall of the northernmost arch is a small protrusion the size and shape of a human nose. It was placed there by artist Rick Buckley in 1997 as part of a campaign against the "Big Brother" society. The nose is at a height of about seven feet, and sits at waist height for anyone riding through the arch on a horse. Prior to Buckley being unmasked in 2011 by the London Evening Standard, an urban myth grew that the nose is there in honor of the Duke of Wellington, who was known for having a particularly large nose.
The Mall, looking towards Buckingham Palace
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Admiralty Arch.The drive gate into Buckingham palace. Only the Queen can drive through the gated middle entryway. I had to nearly stand out in the middle of the street to take this picture.
Admirality Arch
Wikipedia
Admiralty Arch is a landmark building in London which incorporates an archway providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, which extends to the southwest, and Trafalgar Square to the northeast. Admiralty Arch, commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria and designed by Aston Webb is now a Grade I listed building. In the past, it served as residence of the First Sea Lord and was used by the Admiralty. Until 2011, the building housed government offices, but in 2012 the government sold a 125-year lease over the building to a property developer (Prime Investors Capital, run by Rafael Serrano) for redevelopment into a luxury hotel, restaurant and apartments.
History
Thomas Brock's figure of Navigation
The arch was designed by Aston Webb, who also designed the Victoria Memorial and the new façade of Buckingham Palace on the other end of the Mall.[1]:1 Admiralty Arch was constructed by John Mowlem & Co and completed in 1912.[2] It adjoins the Old Admiralty Building, hence the name. The building was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria, although he did not live to see its completion in 1912.
The Admiralty Arch served as the official residence of the First Sea Lord, including the Earl of Mountbatten. It also housed various government offices, initially for the Admiralty.[1]:1
In 2000, the Cabinet Office moved into offices in the building, while maintaining its headquarters on Whitehall. It was also home to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and the Social Exclusion Task Force.[3] In 2011, as part of the United Kingdom government austerity programme, the building became vacant and was put up for sale[4] for a reported £75 million. In October 2012, the winning bidder was reported to be Spanish real estate developer Rafael Serrano, who planned to turn the property into a luxury hotel. The property was sold as a 125-year lease.[5][6] In August 2013, Westminster City Council granted full planning permission for the restoration and conversion of Admiralty Arch into a 100-room hotel, residences and private members' club.[7]
Architects Blair Associates have been retained to convert the building into a hotel, restaurant and four apartments. The residences went on sale in July 2016.[1]:11 The hotel is scheduled to open in 2020.[8]
Ceremonial use
As the ceremonial entrance from Trafalgar Square to The Mall, itself the ceremonial road leading up to Buckingham Palace, Admiralty Arch plays an important role on ceremonial occasions. Processions at royal weddings, funerals, coronations and other public processions such as the 2012 processions at the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Games all passed under its arches.[9]
The central archway is reserved for use by royalty.[1]:1
Description
The structure, which combines the features of a triumphal arch with those of a government office building, is asymmetrical. As viewed from the Mall, the right wing of the building has one floor more than the left one: below the cornice there are three on the right, but just two on the left.[1]:11
A Latin inscription along the top reads:
: ANNO : DECIMO : EDWARDI : SEPTIMI : REGIS :
: VICTORIÆ : REGINÆ : CIVES : GRATISSIMI : MDCCCCX :
(In the tenth year of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria, from most grateful citizens, 1910)
The sculptural figures of Navigation (left) and Gunnery (right) at the end of the two wings were designed by the English sculptor Thomas Brock.
Beneath the building is a warren of subterranean tunnels and chambers, including vaults which used to house the government archives.[1]:11
Nose
The nose
Main article: London Noses
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