Buckingham Palace

In light of the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II, I, like many, have spent time reading about about the Royal Family. Their history and traditions, and, not surprisingly, their houses. During my casual research I came across a few recently published books and articles on the subject of Buckingham Palace, including the interiors and gardens - which I thought might be of interest to the Newport Lamp & Shade community. Below I share excerpts from a wonderful article written by Rachel Edwards for Country Living featuring images by Ashley Hicks from his book Buckingham Palace - The Interiors published by Rizzoli. I hope you enjoy reading and learning more about this culturally significant place as much as I did.

The Green Room at Buckingham Palace

The Green Drawing Room owes its name to the green and gold silk wall coverings that were installed in 1834 at the suggestion of Queen Adelaide, who was moved by the plight of impoverished silk workers in Ireland.

It is another of the 19 imposing State Rooms at Buckingham Palace – and the first to be designed – and stands at an impressive 16 metres in length and 12 metres in width, with theatrical 10 metre high ceilings.

Originally, the flooring, walls, upholstery, curtains, and a selection of ornaments, were all in the same green shade, and latterly the vast area rug was replaced with a ruby red one – the royal decorators clearly never shied away from colour blocking.

written by Rachel Edwards for Country Living
photo by Ashley Hicks

The Throne Room at Buckingham Palace

Photograph of The Throne Room at Buckingham Palace

Central to the sumptuous all-red Throne Room is a pair of chairs known as the Chairs of Estate, one used by Her Majesty The Queen during her Coronation in 1953, and its matching partner made for The Duke of Edinburgh.

Made from carved and gilded beechwood, and covered in crimson silk damask, their backs are embroidered with the ciphers 'EIIR' for Queen Elizabeth II, and 'P' for Prince Philip.

The Throne Room also displays a full-length portrait of The Queen with her dogs Willow, Vulcan, Candy and Holly gathered at her feet.

text by Rachel Edwards for Country Living
photo by Ashley Hicks

The Music Room at Buckingham Palace

The Music Room is recognisable by its imposing scagliola columns in a bright royal blue. Its design has remained largely the same since its completion in 1831.

This is the room where guests are presented before a dinner or a banquet, and it is also used for royal christenings – the Queen’s three eldest children were all christened here in water brought from the River Jordan.

The dazzling blue columns, created to imitate the semi-precious lapis lazuli, are said to have cost £900 in 1828 (an approximate modern day value of over £100,000.) Furniture is French made, and covered in a bright red silk damask, and whilst currently painted white, the original walls were covered in an equally bright yellow silk. Another spectacular feature of the Music Room is the parquet floor of satinwood, rosewood, tulipwood, mahogany, and holly.

written by Rachel Edwards for Country Living
photo by Ashley Hicks

The White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace

Photograph of The White Drawing Room

The White Drawing Room is perhaps most recognisable as the room where Queen Elizabeth delivers her Christmas address, although it is also the location of the famous hidden door that connects this elaborately decorated State Room to The Royal Closet next door.

The White Room serves as a reception room where The Queen and members of the Royal Family can gather before official occasions, or where key guests will be presented to the Queen before heading into a larger State Room to mingle.

Perhaps the grandest of all the State Rooms (there are 19 in total,) it contains magnificent English and French furniture in a lavish yellow brocade upholstery, white-painted walls, cut-glass chandeliers, and as much gilding as one room can take.

written by Rachel Edwards for Country Living
photo by Ashley Hicks