Buckingham Palace began in 1703 as Buckingham House, a townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham to a design by William Winde. George III bought it in 1761, and it became the monarch's London residence when Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837.
John Nash enlarged it from 1826 for George IV, building three wings around a central courtyard. Edward Blore finished the work and added a fourth wing from 1847 to 1849, closing the courtyard. In 1913 Aston Webb refaced the East Front in Portland stone, the face the public knows best.
The palace has 775 rooms, including 19 state rooms, and stands in the largest private garden in London, 39 acres (16 hectares). The Ballroom, built in 1854, is 120 feet (37 m) long. The palace was bombed nine times in the Second World War. Its state rooms open to visitors on selected dates, mostly in summer.
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