The Delegation and I will get the chance to see the one and only Buckingham palace. We'll get to explore the giant 5 story palace and see its world famous guards. I will get the chance to learn about the history and architecture of the over 300 year old palace of Kings and Queens.
Although there has been gardens and houses on the land the first building that would later become Buckingham palace was constructed for the first Duke of Buckingham and Normanby in 1703 (finished in 1705) to the design of William Winde. This building formed the core of the future Buckingham palace. A first it had only 3 floors and was known as the Buckingham House. Eventually in 1761 one of the Duke’s decedents sold the land to King George III for 21,000 pounds (3,000,000 pounds today). It was originally purchased to be a private retreat, mainly for the Queen, and the building was referred to as the Queen's house. Remodeling began only a few years after the purchase and in 1820 George IV continued constructing it as if it were a small comfortable home. After the king's death his younger brother, William IV took charge of constructing the palace and even at one point considered turning it into the new home for the Houses of Parliament since the last one burned down in 1834. Then in 1837 Queen Victoria comes to the throne and made it her new residence and it remained the home of the British royal family to this day. It is known for hosting State occasions and Royal hospitality. It has been looked to by the British people in times of great rejoicing and crisis.
