Everyone who’s anyone has an online tour these days. More and more institutions are offering digital content, and that has only increased in the wake of the Coronavirus Crisis.
The tours offer armchair tourists a convenient new way to explore the nation’s cultural riches, without leaving the comfort of their own front rooms.
One of the most impressive tours on offer is undoubtedly the one offered by Buckingham Palace. The Palace is offering a series of room tours, with armchair visitors able to explore four major rooms in the building.
Buckingham Palace is the London residence of Her Majesty the Queen. The building has been a royal residence since 1837, when a newly crowned Queen Victoria moved into the building. Since then, the Palace has been at the heart of the nation, hosting some of the most important events in the country’s history.
Inside Buckingham Palace
The modern palace actually contains some 775 rooms, but only 19 of them, the State Rooms, are open to the public. These rooms are the grandest in the Palace however and they are furnished with many rare and precious objects from the Royal Collection.
The State Rooms are used by Her Majesty for ceremonial occasions and for official entertaining. The rooms were also the setting for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding reception.
The rooms were first opened to the public in 1993 after the Queen decided that members of the public would be able to visit Buckingham Palace in August and September each year. It was hoped that revenue from the move would help to restore Windsor Castle, which had been damaged in a fire the previous November.
The tours offer you a chance to see Nash’s Grand Staircase, the White Drawing Room, the Throne Room and/or the Blue Drawing Room.
Nash’s Staircase
Nash’s magnificent staircase is a must see. The staircase was created by the famous architect as part of his work to refurbish the house on behalf of the spendthrift King George IV. Consisting of a magnificent and adorned with a dazzlingly intricate pattern of acanthus, oak and laurel leaves, the work set an impressive standard for workmanship.
The White Drawing Room
The White Drawing Room is often used by the Queen for audiences and meetings. The room has also been regularly used for the Queens Christmas broadcasts.
The Throne Room
If Nash’s staircase doesn’t blow you away, then the Throne Room certainly will. The room has been used for a vast array of ceremonial duties during the Queen’s long reign, and it is here that Prince William and Katherine Middleton took their wedding photos in 2011.
The Blue Drawing Room
With blue flock wallpaper and onyx look columns, the Blue Drawing Room is another breathtaking chamber in Buckingham Palace.
The virtual tours of Buckingham Palace can be accessed here.
For information on other museums, galleries and historic houses in London, please click here.
