A Treat for All Royalists
The Royal family attract thousands of tourists to London every single year. They live in a range of places across the city including Clarence House, Kensington Palace and, of course, Buckingham Palace, all of which welcome the public to see how the other half live.
Buckingham Palace is only a short walk from the Sussex Gardens Hotels London and became the home to royalty when King George IV took up residence there and it has continued to be the main home to the Kings and Queens of Britain right up to Elizabeth II, the current Queen. It has 775 rooms which include 78 bathrooms, 52 bedrooms and 92 offices as well as an onsite doctor, post office and swimming pool. Many of these rooms are used constantly but there are tours available throughout the summer months for you to be able to explore the palace.
One of the tours that you can take include the Royal Mews; a mews is a term used for a combined carriage house, stables and garage. The Royal Mews now resides near Shaftesbury Hotel Group
at Buckingham palace but, before 1820, it could be found at Charing Cross where it had been since the 1300’s and was formerly used to keep the royal hawks. It underwent another transformation in the 18th century and was opened for public open days in the 1800’s. The current Royal Mews at the palace was established by George IV when he deemed Buckingham Palace to be the main royal residence in the 1820’s. The old mews was demolished and is now where Trafalgar Square stands.
The carriages are an important part of the mews; there are everyday carriages, such as the Broughams, and there are ones that are used only for state occasions, such as the glorious Gold Coach which can be seen at the Royal Mews.
The Gold State Coach
The Gold Coach was commissioned in 1760 for £7,562 by King George III who employed Sir William Chambers to create a spectacular coach for his wedding to Princess Charlotte and for his coronation. The design was so intricate and so grand that it wasn’t ready for public appearance until 1762 for the State Opening of Parliament. The intricate side panels and the sculptures on the back of the carriage depict Neptune and Amphitrite surrounded by Gods and Nymphs arriving on the shores of Britain. Since then, it has been used as transport for our current monarch’s coronation in 1953 and for her Silver Jubilee in 1977.
The Irish State Coach
The beautiful Irish State Coach was built in 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in Dublin. It is elegantly decorated in black and gold with four large red wheels and lanterns adorning each corner, it is finished with an ornate golden crown on the roof’s centre and a royal emblem in the middle of the carriage door. It has been used in events such as the Coronation of King George V in the early 1900’s and was continuously used during and after World War II by King George VI. It was this coach that transported Princess Elizabeth and King George VI to her wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in 1947.