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Lot Essay
When Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 Buckingham Palace was scarcely habitable. The drains were faulty, there were no sinks for the chambermaids on the bedroom floors, few of the lavatories were ventilated, the bells would not ring, some of the doors would not close and many of the thousand windows would not open. In 1830 Nash was dismissed as architect to be replaced by Edward Blore who finished the building. In 1847 he enclosed the courtyard by adding the east front - the front facing the Mall and shown in the present work. This involved the removal of the Marble Arch to its present position at the top of Park Lane. By the mid-1850s the Queen had grown fond of the palace. Her son, Edward VII, was born and died there.
The Queen Victoria Memorial designed by Sir Thomas Brock, which now stands in front of the Palace, was unveiled in 1911 by King Geroge V. The money left over from the Memorial was used to pay for the Palace's Portland stone faade, designed by Sir Aston Webb, in 1913.
This picture therefore predates the faade with which we are now familiar.
The Queen Victoria Memorial designed by Sir Thomas Brock, which now stands in front of the Palace, was unveiled in 1911 by King Geroge V. The money left over from the Memorial was used to pay for the Palace's Portland stone faade, designed by Sir Aston Webb, in 1913.
This picture therefore predates the faade with which we are now familiar.