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London Castles |
Buckingham Palace is easily the best known Royal residence in existence today.
However in and araound London their are other, equally outstanding castles and palaces.
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Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of Britain's monarchs, and has been since 1837.
It was originally a town house, owned at the beginning of the eighteenth century by the
Dukes of Buckingham. Presently it is The Queen's official residence.
Although used for many official events and receptions held by The Queen,
areas of Buckingham Palace are regularly opened to the public in August and September.
Visits to Buckingham Palace can incorporate visits to The Queen's Gallery,
which reopened in May 2002.
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Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace, a working Royal residence, is of great historical significance.
It was the favourite residence of successive sovereigns until 1760 and the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria.
Today Kensington Palace accommodates the offices and private apartments of several of the Royal Family.
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Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is one of The Queen's official residences.
It is the largest occupied castle in the world and has been a Royal home and fortress
for over 900 years, remaining a working palace today.
Visitors are allowed to view the State Apartments, which are extensive suites of rooms at
the heart of the palace. At certain times they can also see the Semi State rooms,
with some of the most splendidly furnished interiors in the castle.
Within the Castle complex there are also many other attractions, such as the Drawings Gallery, Queen Mary's dolls' house,
and the fourteenth-century St. George's Chapel, a setting for many Royal weddings.
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Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle, located in Kent, is a magnificent, small and charming, medieval castle
built on two small islands in a lake in 500 acres of parkland and gardens.
Listed in the Domesday Book, this castle has been a Norman stronghold,
a royal residence for six of England’s medieval queens, a palace of Henry VIII,
and a retreat for the powerful and influential.
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