Attraction: Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the royal family in London and a location for state ceremonies. It is located at the western end of The Mall, between St James Park and Green Park. The largest private garden in London, with a total area of 39 acres, is located to the west of the Palace.

HISTORY

Buckingham Palace’s narrative begins in 1608, when King James VI and I wished to foster a silk industry to rival that of France. He brought 10,000 mulberry trees into the country and encouraged his courtiers to start planting them on their land. He planted mulberry trees on the area of ground where the Palace presently stands in Westminster.

The king’s plans, however, had a fatal flaw: he had ordered black mulberry plants rather than the white mulberry trees that silkworms love. As a result, his plan was doomed to fail.

Sir William Blake erected the first mansion on this location around 1624. Lord Goring enlarged the mansion, but when Lord Goring was unable to pay his lease, Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington purchased the property. Goring House, the mansion, burned down in 1674. The following year, Lord Arlington built a new residence, which was appropriately named Arlington House.

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