Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace, palace and London residence of the British sovereign. It is situated within the borough of Westminster. The palace takes its name from the house built (c. 1705) for John Sheffield, duke of Buckingham. It was bought in 1762 by George III for his wife, Queen Charlotte, and became known as the queen’s house. By order of George IV, John Nash initiated the conversion of the house into a palace in the 1820s.

In 1834 the Houses of Parliament were destroyed by fire. William IV seriously considered converting the Palace into the new Houses of Parliament but in the end, he opted to rebuild Parliament on the same site.

Buckingham Palace was bombed nine times during World War Two but emerged relatively unscathed. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth refused to leave the palace during the bombings.

The Palace has 775 rooms, including 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 bedrooms, and 19 staterooms. The largest room is the ballroom, which measures 36.6m long, 18m wide, and 13.5m high. The first public event held in the ballroom was a gala to celebrate the end of the Crimean War. In 1883 the ballroom was the first room in the Palace to have electric lighting installed.

The Palace has its own post office, a swimming pool, doctor's surgery, a jeweller's workshop, and a cinema. It even has its own ATM! The front facade facing onto the Mall is 355 feet wide and 80 feet high. The palace has are 760 windows and 1,514 doors!

English teacher:                                           Skidan L.M.