Audley End, Essex - Built
in 1603 and purchased by Charles II in 1669, this palace
was passed on to the Earl of Sussex after Charles' death
because the King hadn't actually paid the full purchase
price to the Earl's ancestor.
Balmoral Castle, Grampian,
Scotland - After renting a small castle called Balmoral
in 1848, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased it in
1852. The original granite castle was replaced by a much
larger white granite building co-designed by the Prince.
It remains a favorite holiday home of the Royal Family.
Brighton Pavillion, Sussex - In 1786, the future
George IV bought a farmhouse and converted it into a villa
for his secret wife, Mrs Fitzherbert, to live in. Then, from
1815 to 1822, it was transformed into an exotic palace that the
Prince and his friends used as a getaway. After he became King,
George lost interest in it, and it was eventually sold
to the Town Council in 1848. It is now a popular tourist
attraction.
Buckingham Palace, London - Originally built between
1702-05 for John Sheffield, the Duke of Buckingham, the Palace was
sold by his son to George III in 1703. The King moved there from
St James' Palace the next year. During George IV's reign, the
Palace underwent rebuilding and extension work, which continued
through William IV's reign until 1837, shortly after Victoria's
ascension. She, however, didn't live there until after Prince
Albert's death, so it's only since the reign of Edward VII that the
Palace has served as the main London residence of the sovereign.
Clarence House, London - This extension to St James'
Palace was originally built for William IV when he was still the
Duke of Clarence. This is where Princess Elizabeth and Philip
Mountbatten lived after their 1947 wedding and where the Queen
Mother has lived since her daughter's ascension in 1952.
Hampton Court, Middlesex - An enormous
palace built for Cardinal Wolsey amid 2000 acres of exquisite
gardens and parkland, it was handed over to Henry VIII in 1525
when Wolsey wanted to curry the King's favor. Henry took possession
in 1529, and it was a favorite royal residence through the reign
of George II. George III didn't like it, so it was no longer
used by the monarch after his ascension. It's currently England's
most lavish non-royal residence.
Hatfield House, Hertfordshire - Once the home of
Henry VIII's daughter Princess Elizabeth, this house was sold in
1607 and now belongs to romance novelist Barbara Cartland. The
oak tree under which Elizabeth supposedly sat when she learned
that she'd become Queen still exists.
Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh - James IV of Scotland
originally converted an abbey on this site into a royal residence,
yet after it was destroyed by fire in 1543 it was rebuilt by
James V of Scotland and then Charles II. Today it's still in
use for certain ceremonial occasions.
Kensington Palace, London -
KP was purchased during the joint reign of William III and
Mary II, has gone through several rebuildings, and has been
favored by successive monarchs. Queen Victoria was born there,
and Princess Diana lived there following her separation from
Prince Charles. It is also the home of Princess Margaret.
Kew Palace, London - Originally built by a merchant
in 1631 and called Dutch House, this red brick mansion was once
the residence of George III and Queen Charlotte. It still
stands in Kew Gardens.
Queen Charlotte's Cottage - Queen Charlotte's Cottage is also in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and is open to visitors every
summer weekend. The cottage was enjoyed by King George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte, as a
picnic place and home to their menagerie of exotic animals. Its pretty interiors are decorated with
paintings, probably by George's daughter, Princess Elizabeth.
Marlborough House, London - Designed by Sir Christopher
Wren and built between 1709-11, this red-brick house was the home of
successive Dukes of Marlborough until it was taken over by George IV's
daughter, Princess Charlotte, in 1817. Numerous other royals lived
there, the last of them being George V's widow Queen Mary, who died
there in 1953. In 1959, it became a government building known as
the Commonwealth Centre.
Osborne House, Isle of Wight - Prince Albert designed
this house, which was completed in 1851. Edward VII, who never liked it,
gifted it to the nation in 1902. It subsequently became an officers'
convalescent home, and today is open to the public.
Palace of Westminister, London - Once the residence of
kings from Edward the Confessor to Henry VIII, it was largely rebuilt
during the Victorian era. It is now the meeting place for
Parliament and a location of government offices.
St James' Palace, London - Built by Henry VIII on the site
of a former women's leper hospital, it originally had St James' Park and
Hyde Park as its privately enclosed surrounding areas. During the
reign of George III it ceased to be a royal residence but today it's
still used in that capacity, serving as Prince Charles' London home
and the place to which ambassadors are accredited.
Sandringham House, Norfolk - This house was
purchased for Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1861. Princess Diana was born
at Park House on the Estate, and the Royal Family uses it every
Christmas. It is open to the public during the rest of the year.
The Tower of London - The Tower was built by
William the Conqueror in 1066 to celebrate his victory at the Battle
of Hastings as a timber-and-earth castle. It was rebuilt and added to
up until Victorian times. It has served as a fortress, a palace, a
prison, a torture and execution place, a royal mint, a menagerie, and
an arsenal. The home of the Crown Jewels, it is one of London's most popular
tourist attractions.
Windsor Castle, Berkshire - This was also built as a
wood-and-earth military stronghold by William the Conqueror soon after
the 1066 Norman invasion. Henry I converted the wooden tower into stone,
Henry II made comprehensive additions, and by the early 14th century it
was primarily being used as a residence. Extensive rebuildings took place
during the reigns of Charles II, George III, and George IV. As one of the
principal homes of the Royal Family, it is the oldest royal residence
still in regular use. Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, was married to
Sophie Rhys-Jones in the castle's St George's Chapel in 1999.
Frogmore House, Berkshire - Set inside Home Park about a mile south of Windsor Castle, the
estates of Great and Little Frogmore first came into Royal
ownership in the 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII.
The original house was built between 1680 and 1684 and was
added to by successive sovereigns.From 1709 to 1738 the house was leased by the Duke of
Northumberland, son of Charles II by the Duchess of Cleveland.
In 1792 George III bought the house for Queen Charlotte who
used it for herself and her unmarried daughters as a country
retreat. She held receptions, fêtes and masques in the gardens.
Queen Victoria gave the house to her mother, the Duchess of
Kent, in 1841. Earl Mountbatten of Burma was born in
Frogmore House in 1900, and from 1902 to 1910 the future
King George V and Queen Mary, with their children, frequently
stayed there. The Duke and Duchess of York, later King George
VI and Queen Elizabeth, spent part of their honeymoon there in
1923, and from 1925 until her death in 1953 Queen Mary
collected souvenirs of the Royal family, some of which are on
display there today.
The site for the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore was chosen by
Queen Victoria in the days following the death of Prince Albert
in December 1861 but was not completed until 10 years later.
The Queen directed that as much as possible of the painting and
sculpture inside should be in the style of Raphael, regarded by
Prince Albert as the greatest artist of all time. Queen Victoria
regularly visited the Mausoleum and a service was held there
each year on 14 December, the anniversary of Prince Albert's
death. When Queen Victoria died in January 1901 her body was
placed alongside that of her husband.
All information © 2000, S.L. Cearley
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