Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. It has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years. It is an official residence of Her Majesty The Queen, whose standard flies from the Round Tower when she is in residence.
Designed by Inigo Jones for King James I and completed in 1622, The Banqueting House is the only complete surviving building of Whitehall Palace, the sovereign’s principal residence from 1530 until 1698 when it was destroyed by fire.
Experience the decade of decadence at Eltham Palace, as you are transported back to the 1930s (just in time for cocktail hour…).
The royal family may have left Hampton Court in 1737 but the palace and its apartments soon found another purpose. From the 1760s onwards, the palace was divided up for ‘grace-and-favour’ residents who were granted rent-free accommodation because they had given great service to the Crown or country. They lived, often with their own small households of servants above, underneath and around the state apartments.
The term ‘State Rooms’ is applied to those rooms that were designed and built as the public rooms of the Palace, in which monarchs receive, reward and entertain their subjects and visiting dignitaries.
Spencer House is London’s most magnificent eighteenth-century aristocratic palace
Built between 1756-1766 for John, first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) it is London’s finest surviving eighteenth-century town house.
Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. It has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years. It is an official residence of Her Majesty The Queen, whose standard flies from the Round Tower when she is in residence.
Experience the decade of decadence at Eltham Palace, as you are transported back to the 1930s (just in time for cocktail hour…).
The royal family may have left Hampton Court in 1737 but the palace and its apartments soon found another purpose. From the 1760s onwards, the palace was divided up for ‘grace-and-favour’ residents who were granted rent-free accommodation because they had given great service to the Crown or country. They lived, often with their own small households of servants above, underneath and around the state apartments.
The term ‘State Rooms’ is applied to those rooms that were designed and built as the public rooms of the Palace, in which monarchs receive, reward and entertain their subjects and visiting dignitaries.
Spencer House is London’s most magnificent eighteenth-century aristocratic palace
Built between 1756-1766 for John, first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997) it is London’s finest surviving eighteenth-century town house.
From its conception the House was recognised as one of the most sumptuous private residences ever built in London and a building of unique importance in the history of English architecture.
Designed by John Vardy and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, the State Rooms are amongst the first neo-classical interiors in Europe.
Changing of the Guard, one of the top attractions in London!
The Changing the Guard ceremony, or Guard Mounting as it is formally known, signifies the official handover of responsibility for the military security of the Royal Palaces in London.
Household Troops have guarded the Sovereign and the Royal Palaces since 1660.
Until 1689, the Sovereign lived, mainly, at the Palace of Whitehall and was guarded there by Household Cavalry.
In 1689, the court moved to St James's Palace, which was guarded by the Foot Guards.
When Queen Victoria moved into Buckingham Palace in 1837, the Queen's Guard remained at St James's Palace, with a detachment guarding Buckingham Palace, as it still does today.
The Queen’s Guard is commanded by a Captain (who usually holds the rank of Major), and each Detachment is commanded by a Lieutenant.
The Colour of the Battalion providing the Guard is carried by a Second Lieutenant (who is known as the Ensign).
The handover is accompanied by a Guards band. The music played ranges from traditional military marches to songs from films and musicals and even familiar pop songs.
When The Queen is in residence, there are four sentries at the front of the building. When she is away there are two.
Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. It has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years. It is an official residence of Her Majesty The Queen, whose standard flies from the Round Tower when she is in residence.
The Queen spends most of her private weekends at Windsor and takes up official residence for a month over Easter (March to April), known as Easter Court. The Queen is also at Windsor for one week each June, when she attends Royal Ascot and the service of the Order of the Garter.
Windsor is still very much a working royal palace. The Castle is used regularly for ceremonial and State occasions. It is here that The Queen often hosts State Visits from overseas monarchs and presidents. St George’s Hall makes a spectacular setting for a State Banquet, when a single table, stretching the length of the hall and seating 160 people, is decorated with porcelain, and silver-gilt from the Royal Collection.
Occasionally The Queen hosts a ‘dine and sleep’, when Her Majesty invites important figures, such as political leaders, Ambassadors, High Commissioners or the heads of Commonwealth nations, to have dinner at the Castle, before showing them a special display of items from the Royal Library. The guests then spend a night at the Castle and depart after breakfast the following morning.
St George’s Chapel within the Castle Precincts is the spiritual home of the Order of the Garter, the oldest order of chivalry in the world. Founded at Windsor by Edward III in 1348, its Knights still attend a Service of Thanksgiving in the chapel of their patron, St George, processing in their robes and insignia through the Castle Precincts. Today, the Order consists of The Queen, The Prince of Wales and 24 Knight Companions. There are also Royal Knights and Foreign or ‘stranger’ Knights. St George’s Chapel remains an active centre for worship, with daily services open to all.
Designed by Inigo Jones for King James I and completed in 1622, The Banqueting House is the only complete surviving building of Whitehall Palace, the sovereign’s principal residence from 1530 until 1698 when it was destroyed by fire. It was also the site of King Charles I execution in 1649.
Originally built for state occasions, plays and masques, the Banqueting House and Whitehall are both popular destinations on the London sightseeing trail – although it’s always worth checking opening hours as it is still one of the finest banqueting venues in the capital and often plays host to royal and Government functions, as well as society events.
Experience the decade of decadence at Eltham Palace, as you are transported back to the 1930s (just in time for cocktail hour…). Created for millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, Eltham Palace is part showpiece of Art Deco design and 1930s cutting-edge technology, and part medieval royal palace. Bring your family and make yourself at home, try on clothes, play games and listen to music, as a guest of the Courtaulds.
After a £1.7 million project Eltham Palace reopened on 3 April 2015 with five new rooms for you to enjoy.
Admire the stunning domed entrance hall at Eltham Palace, where prestigious guests gathered for glamorous cocktail parties. Socialites and politicians, royals and artists all enjoyed hospitality here. This eye-catching room is a mix of Art Deco and cutting-edge Swedish design.
Saved from decline by the Courtaulds', their lavish home is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture and design surviving in Britain today. Explore some of the collection highlights that you can see at Eltham Palace.
The marvellous panelled dining room and luxurious golden bathroom are just two of the other highlights you can enjoy.
The royal family may have left Hampton Court in 1737 but the palace and its apartments soon found another purpose. From the 1760s onwards, the palace was divided up for ‘grace-and-favour’ residents who were granted rent-free accommodation because they had given great service to the Crown or country. They lived, often with their own small households of servants above, underneath and around the state apartments.
Over the next two hundred years a wide variety of people became Hampton Court residents. Lady Baden-Powell, the widow of the founder of the Scout movement, had apartments within Henry VIII's kitchens.
The great experimental scientist Professor Michael Faraday (1791-1867) had a house on Hampton Court Green.
In 1838, the young Queen Victoria (r 1837-1901) ordered that Hampton Court Palace ‘should be thrown open to all her subjects without restriction.’
Conservation and restoration of Hampton Court Palace continues. The vast majority of the palace buildings are now either open to the public or used as office space and store-rooms, although a small group of grace-and-favour residencies remain.
Perhaps surprisingly, new building works are also commissioned: 2007 has seen the opening of the brand new Clore Education Centre outside the palace’s West Front.
Interpreting and explaining the palace to the visitor also remains an ongoing challenge. Hampton Court has many histories, and understanding – and finding your way around – the complex geography of the site can be challenging.
It is perhaps easiest to think of Hampton Court as the ‘story of two palaces’: a Tudor palace established by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and made even more magnificent by Henry VIII, alongside a baroque palace built by William III and Mary II.
It is recommended you allow at least 3 hours for your visit to Hampton Court. The friendly staff in the Information Centre off Base Court can assist you in planning your time.
The term ‘State Rooms’ is applied to those rooms that were designed and built as the public rooms of the Palace, in which monarchs receive, reward and entertain their subjects and visiting dignitaries. Today the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are used extensively by The Queen and members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions.
The Palace's nineteen State Rooms predominantly reflect the taste George IV (r.1820-30), who commissioned the architect John Nash to transform what had previously been known as Buckingham House into a grand palace. Many of the pieces of furniture, sparkling chandeliers, candelabra and other works of art in these rooms were bought or made for Carlton House, George IV's London home when he was Prince of Wales. Today the State Rooms are furnished with many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, sculpture by Canova, exquisite pieces of Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.
Many of the other State Rooms also have particular uses today. It is in the Throne Room, for example, that The Queen, on very special occasions like Jubilees, receives loyal addresses. On 29 April 2011 this room was the setting for the formal photographs following the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. In the Music Room, guests are presented to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the visiting Head of State on the occasion of a State visit. The White Drawing Room, perhaps the grandest of all the State Rooms, serves as a royal reception room for The Queen and members of the Royal Family to gather before official occasions.
