LEGO ARCHITECTURE 21029 BUCKINGHAM PALACE Instruction Manual

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Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace—the official residence of Queen
Elizabeth II and a major London tourist attraction—is one
of the most recognizable buildings in the world. But the
iconic structure so familiar to us today is actually the result
of many years of extensive remodeling. In a history that can
be traced back over 300 years, the original building was
transformed from a modest townhouse to the lavish royal
palace we know and admire today.
[ The largest room in the palace is the Ballroom,
where state banquets take place ]

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Though many different buildings had previously occupied
the site, the official history of Buckingham Palace begins
in 1698 when the Duke of Buckingham demolished the
existing property and built Buckingham House on the spot
where the palace stands today.
The house remained the property of the Dukes of
Buckingham until 1761, when King George III acquired the
house and its grounds as a private family residence for his
wife, Queen Charlotte. Known then as “The Queen’s House”,
the nearby St James’s Palace remained the official royal
residence.
This changed when George IV came to the throne in 1820
and decided to transform his childhood home into his
official palace. The renowned architect John Nash was
given the task in 1826, and over the next five years extended
the central block and replaced the existing wings to create
an imposing, U-shaped palace.
History
[ The first recorded royal balcony
appearance took place in 1851
with Queen Victoria ]

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Neither King George IV, who died in 1830, nor his younger
brother King William IV, who succeeded him but died in 1837,
would take up official residence in the palace. Instead, the
first royal to live in the palace would be Queen Victoria, who
moved there in 1837. When she married in 1840, the palace
soon became too small for both its official duties and her
growing family. The architect Edward Blore was asked to
enlarge the palace and design a new wing that would
enclose the central quadrangle.
This new addition, facing The Mall, is the best-known part
of the palace today and is reproduced in this LEGO®
Architecture model. It also includes the famous balcony
used by the royal family to acknowledge the crowds on
national occasions.
[ There are over 40,000 light
bulbs in the palace ]

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[ The Buckingham Palace kitchen is
able to serve a sit-down meal for up
to 600 people at one time ]
Buckingham Palace Today
As well as being the enduring symbol of the British monarchy,
Buckingham Palace is also a major tourist attraction, an art
gallery and the location for many official state occasions.
The palace is still very much a working building. It has 775
rooms including 19 state rooms, 240 bedrooms, 92 offices
and 78 bathrooms. Over 50,000 guests a year pass through
its doors for royal ceremonies, state visits, investitures and
garden parties. It is still the official residence of Queen
Elizabeth II and the day-to-day workplace of the royal family.
Owned by the British state and not the monarchy, the cost
of maintaining the palace has risen steeply as the building’s
age starts to show and major refurbishments are required. It
is estimated that over £150 million will be needed over the
next ten years to ensure this iconic structure will remain a
part of Britain’s heritage.

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The Architects
John Nash (1752 – 1835)
Born in south London in 1752, John Nash was responsible for
much of the layout of Regency London during the reign of
George IV. Given the task of transforming a townhouse into
a royal palace, he doubled the size of the existing building,
added two new wings and clad the whole structure in
Bath stone. Though widely considered as an architectural
masterpiece, the building costs soon escalated out of
control. Nash was eventually removed from his post, never
to receive an official commission again.
Edward Blore (1787 – 1879)
The English-born architect was contracted to complete
the work started by Nash and was chosen again in 1841
to design the extension to the palace during the reign of
Queen Victoria. As well as adding an attic floor to the main
block of the palace, Blore designed the new East Front with
its main façade and central balcony.
Sir Aston Webb (1849 – 1930)
Many of Blore’s contemporaries criticized the simplistic
style of his new East Front and in 1913, with the soft French
stone he chose starting to crumble, King George V asked
Aston Webb to redesign and repair the building’s façade.
Webb, a renowned London-born architect, remodeled the
building to the form we know today and clad the structure
in Portland Stone.
[ During the Second World War,
the palace suffered nine direct
bomb hits ]

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Location: ....................................... London, England
Construction Periods: ............. 1826, 1841, 1913
Architectural Style: .................... French neo-classical
Dimensions: ................................... 354 ft. (108 m) by 390 ft. (120 m)
Height: ............................................... 79 ft. (24 m)
Floor Space: .................................. 830,000 sq. ft. (77,000 m2)
Facts about Buckingham Palace

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