This prestigious part of London stretches from Hyde Park Corner down to the banks of the Thames and Westminster Bridge, incorporating some of the city’s best known green spaces and landmarks. From the grand royal residence of Buckingham Palace in the west, tourists regularly travel down the flag-lined Mall towards 10 Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, and the Palace of Westminster, passing Green Park and St James’s Park as they go. From there one can view the London Eye and the Southbank. Given its location and reputation it’s hardly surprising that this neighbourhood is populated by very few permanent residents, with most buildings occupied by famous brands such as Fortnum & Mason. Like many tourist hotspots, the area is very well connected via numerous tube stations and bus routes, and with Hyde Park, Mayfair, Soho, and Covent Garden only a short walk away it’s the perfect place to begin a day’s tour of the city.

Buckingham Palace sits on the site of what was once the Manor of Ebury, a marshy plain watered by the River Tyburn, which still flows below ground beneath the south wing of the palace. The site was bequeathed to the monks of Westminster Abbey following the Norman Conquest before it was taken by Henry VIII almost 500 years later. Houses existed on the site ever since, with the modern core of the current palace erected in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, and later sold to George III for the princely sum of £21,000. It was remodeled over the next century and a half, and turned into a palace in the 1820s by the architect John Nash, famous for the Regent’s Canal and Regent’s Park. Nearby St James’s Palace remained the official royal residence until 1837, when Queen Victoria moved into the newly refurbished palace.

Amazingly, there are over 700 rooms in Buckingham Palace, which include some surprises, such as a cinema, a pool, a post office, a police station, a clinic, and a cash machine for the more than 800 staff who call the palace home. The art gallery, known as the Royal Collection, contains over one million objects, including celebrated masterworks by artists such as Mantegna, Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Vermeer.

A child called Edward Jones was notorious within the royal residence during Queen Victoria’s tenure, because of his surprising ability to break into the building. He was only caught three times, and managed to steal the Queen’s underwear, food from the kitchens, and apparently even managed to sit on the throne!

Unsurprisingly for an area such as this, it is busy with tourists for much of the year. This can become an issue for those who work in the neighbourhood as tubes and buses can be packed at all times of the day.

The historical significance of this part of town means that there are very few large developments in the planning. Given Buckingham Palace’s age there are constant repair works that are carried out all the time, and in June 2018, the royals moved out of the palace to allow for major repairs. The total repair bill for the palace re-building works, which were conducted in anticipation of late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, stood at £369 million. Due to the high costs of the repairs, which have even been described as ‘absurd’ by some, there is an increasing movement to convince the royal family to open the Palance to tourists and visitors year round, to help pay for the costs. In the future, there may well be a chance for the public to explore the palace much more easily than little Edward John did more than a century ago.