The Importance Of Studying English Language
Buckingham Palace
"I delight in Buckingham Palace", said Queen Victoria, when she moved in three weeks after ascending to the throne. She was either an optimist or hadn't discovered that the drains didn't drain, the royal apartments were ventilated through the common sewers, the servants' bells didn't ring, and there were no sinks for the chambermaids. Additionally, some doors wouldn't close, and some of the windows wouldn't open.
The façade of this internationally known palace has not always presented the appearance it does today. It was originally a townhouse built by John Sheffield, the Duke of Buckingham, and a friend of Queen Anne. In 1703 she granted him the land-at the corner of St James's Park and Green Park-on which the Palace now stands. It was first known as Buckingham House.
Part of the land was once a mulberry garden, planted by James I. Today the 40-acre secluded garden contains specimen shrubs, trees and a large lake. Eight to nine thousand people visit it during the annual garden parties.
George III liked Buckingham House, and, wanting a London residence, bought it in 1762, for £28,000. He renamed it Queen's House and gave it to his wife, Charlotte. Many of their children were born at the house.
It took George IV, on becoming King in 1820, and John Nash, Surveyor-general to George IV when he was Prince Regent, to turn the house into a sumptuous palace. Both had the experience: George IV was the instigator, and Nash the architect, of Brighton Pavilion, that monument to excessive architecture.
Parliament granted George IV £150,000 for the rebuilding. A thousand workmen were hired to face the exterior with Bath stone and add new rooms on the western side. Nash demolished the North and South wings and rebuilt them. He constructed Marble Arch as a grand entrance to the enlarged courtyard.
As work continued, Nash let his costs run away with him, and Parliament complained. Joseph Hume, an English politician and reformer fighting for financial...
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