Stop 4: Buckingham Palace

The final destination in our little tour is not one you should miss. As one of the most famous buildings in London, tourists flock to see the stately walls of Buckingham Palace year-round. The Palace, which has been home to the Royal Family since 1762, is surrounded by a large estate with extensive gardens like St. James's Park and the Queen Victoria Memorial (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). Believe it or not, the Palace actually started out as a small house, no more than a rowhome, and through a long series of renovations, grew into the near monstrosity we see today with about 775 rooms total (Buckingham Palace - London, Age and Queen | HISTORY). 

From afar, my fellow travelers, you’ll first need to travel down a long dirt road, through the extensive estates I mentioned previously (Ali). Then, as you approach, you’ll see this massive white structure looming over the gardens. Another tourist, Nazneen from Brick Lane, was primarily impressed with the extraordinary size of the palace (Ali). And, after you take in its size, you’ll notice the columns, one of it's most prominent features, are reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance (Buckingham Palace: Emblem of Architecture and Design). The inside is ornately decorated but only three of the rooms are open to the public are the Throne, Ballroom, and the Gallery of Paintings (Buckingham Palace: Emblem of Architecture and Design).

Beginning with their first exploratory voyage to "Asia" in 1497, the British Empire grew to encompass about a third of the entire world (Brain). It wasn't until 1843 that anyone even attempted to stand up to them, with the Maori revolt in New Zealand (Brain). That led to the slow death of the Empire, ending once and for all in 1997 when they had to cede Hong Kong back to China (Brain). However, even though the general influence of the Monarchy has declined, the Palace is a treasure trove of artwork and other collections. Most notable of the treasures it contains are the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci and a plethora of high-end cars (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). Indeed, artifacts and representatives from all over the world have been housed in its marble halls (Buckingham Palace - London, Age and Queen | HISTORY). 

This enormous building, once the home of the family that colonized most of the world, is nearly legendary. To gaze upon Buckingham Palace is to gaze upon the grounds upon which so much of our history was dictated. But many, like Nazneen in Ali’s Brick Lane, are disappointed when they first see it. Nazneen herself described it as a “flat-rooted block” when she first saw it, thoroughly surprised by the lack of decor and grandeur when she first laid eyes on it (Ali). For some, it’s as if the decline of the Monarchy’s influence opened the door for the rest of the world it had once subjugated to see for itself that this formerly great power was dwindling into the same dust Nazneen observed (Ali). But just as the Imperial Palace is an important stop when touring Beijing, the palace itself, however impressive you may find it, is a necessary, thought-provoking historical stop (Qiao).  So, good traveler, I’m sure you can find some way to dig meaning from visiting this historic building.

Sources:

Ali, Monica. Brick Lane. Doubleday UK, 2003.

Brain, Jessica. “Timeline of the British Empire - Historic UK.” Historic UK, 13 Feb. 2024, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Timeline-Of-The-British-….

“Buckingham Palace: Emblem of Architecture and Design.” Property Journal, 2023, propertyjournal.com.mx/en/buckingham-palace.

“Buckingham Palace - London, Age and Queen | HISTORY.” HISTORY,  2022, www.history.com/topics/european-history/history-of-buckingham-palace.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Buckingham Palace | History, Description, Changing of the Guard, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/Buckingham-Palace.

Qiao, Chuandai. “The Comparison of the Imperial Palace of China and Buckingham Palace of the United Kingdom.” Atlantis Press.