England is an incredibly beautiful|a most amazing country in which to spend a vacation. England has a great many visitor attractions well worth visiting which cater for all tastes. For instance|One such place is the historic city of York which is known to have been inhabited since the days of the Romans, Torquay (often called the English Riviera) and Liverpool (European City of Culture 2008). Possibly the most famous place to spend some time is London the capital city of Britain
London is a most astounding place to visit, maybe for just a weekend or, hopefully for a longer period. You may be surprised at how many folk living in Great Britain who have not yet visited London, this is especially surprising when you ponder on the fact it is most often top of the majority of visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).
There are so many things to see and do in London that it is almost impossible to recall them all at once. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular – The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace is England’s most widely known Royal residence, as it is home to Queen Elizabeth. Buckingham Palace is is placed right at the very heart of London which makes it an important focus for visitors. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is incredibly interesting to watch and quintessentially English.
Buckingham Palace was originally called Buckingham House. It was originally a large town house, built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the town house that forms the main core of the palace as we are familiar with today.
Over the next 3 quarters of a century Buckingham House was made larger with the construction of an additional three wings creating a central courtyard. The primary architects responsible for these additions were Edward Blore and John Nash. It was also John Nash who was responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.
The famous architect Aston Webb was responsible for the creation of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which he re-designed in 1912. Webb in association with Sir Thomas Brock (the sculptor) were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial is still standing today.
The Queen has various other royal residences besides Buckingham Palace. Each and every year the Queen spends the Christmas period at Sandringham House in Norfolk. Sandringham House is a private royal residence (owned by the Queen).
Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, found in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Queen was at Balmoral Castle when she was informed of the shocking incident involving Princess Diana.
If you would like to take a vacation in England then you might be surprised to hear that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great difficulty, on the other hand you may wish to stay in more luxurious accommodation and the small selection of boutique hotels in London should more than satisfy.