Buckingham House

Facade of a Palace, Buckingham Palace, London, England Photographic Print 36" x 12" $39.99 Unframed Framed   Mounted

Sir Walter Besant, in The Fascination of London, published in 1903, continues his survey of the city with this look at the history of Buckingham Palace:

Buckingham Palace stands on the site of Arlington House, so called from its connection with Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington (the Earl whose initial supplied one of the a's in the word "Cabal").

John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, bought the house and rebuilt it in 1703, naming it after himself, and including in the grounds part of the land belonging to Tart Hall, which stood at the head of St James's Street, and has been mentioned in the account of the adjoining parish of St Margaret's, Westminster.

Buckingham House was bought from Sir Charles Sheffield, son of the above-mentioned Duke, by the Crown in 1762.

In 1775 it was granted to Queen Charlotte as a place of residence in lieu of Somerset House, and at this period it was known as Queen's House.

George IV employed Nash to renovate the building, and the restoration was so complete as to amount to an entire rebuilding, in the style considered then fashionable; the result is the present dreary building with stuccoed frontage.

The interior is handsome enough, and, like that of many a London house of less importance, is considerably more cheerful than the exterior.

The chief staircase is of white marble, and the rooms are richly decorated.

The state apartments include drawing-rooms, saloons, and the throne-room, which is sixty-four feet in length.

The picture-gallery contains a collection of pictures made by George IV, chiefly of the Dutch school; it includes works of Rembrandt, Rubens, Vandyck, Dürer, Cuyp, Ruysdael, Vandervelde, and others.

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