Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. The Palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, a base for many officially visiting Heads of State, and a major tourist attraction. It has been a rallying point for British people at times of national rejoicing, crisis or grief. ‘Buckingham Palace’ or simply ‘The Palace’ commonly refers to the source of Press statements issued by the offices of the Royal Household.

In the Middle Ages, Buckingham Palace's site formed part of the Manor of Ebury. It had several Royal owners from Edward the Confessor onwards and was also the object of much property speculation.

The State Rooms form the nucleus of the working Palace and are used regularly by The Queen and members of the Royal family for official and State entertaining. Buckingham Palace is one of the world's most familiar buildings and more than 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and the Royal Garden Parties.

State banquets also take place in the Ballroom. These formal dinners take place on the first evening of a state visit by a visiting Head of State. On these occasions, often over 150 guests are in formal ‘white tie and decorations’ including tiaras for women, dine off gold plate. The largest and most formal reception at Buckingham Palace takes place every November, when the Queen entertains members of the foreign diplomatic corps resident in London. On this occasion all the state rooms are in use, as the entire Royal Family proceeds through them, beginning their procession through the great north doors of the Picture Gallery.

Today, Buckingham Palace is not only the home of the Queen and Prince Philip but also the London residence of the Duke of York and the Earl and Countess of Essex. The palace also houses the office of the monarchy and its associated functions.

In addition to being the weekday home of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the palace is the workplace of 450 people. Every year some 50,000 people are entertained at garden parties, receptions, audiences, and banquets. The forecourt of Buckingham Palace is used for Changing of the Guard, a major ceremony and tourist attraction.

The palace is not the private property of the Queen; Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace and their art collections belong to the nation. The priceless furnishings, paintings, fittings and other artefacts, many by Fabergé, from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are known collectively as the Royal Collection; owned by the nation, they can be viewed by the public when the palace and castle are open to the public at various times of the year.

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, England and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century, and is generally reckoned to be London's fourth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. The cathedral is one of London's most visited sites.

The task of designing a structure was assigned to Christopher Wren in 1668, along with over fifty other City churches. His first design was rejected in 1669. The second design, in the shape of a Greek cross was rejected as too radical. The 'warrant' design was accepted in 1675 and building work began in June. This design included a smaller dome with a spire on top, however King Charles II had given Wren permission to make ‘ornamental’ changes to the approved design, and Wren took the liberty to radically rework the design to the current form, including the large central dome and the towers at the West end. The cathedral was completed on October 20, 1708, Wren's 76th birthday (although the first service was held on December 2, 1697).

The British Royal Family holds most of their important marriages, christenings and funerals at Westminster Abbey, but St Paul's was used for the marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

The cathedral is open to the public, though there is a charge for non-worshipping visitors. In 2000, the cathedral began a major restoration programme, scheduled for completion in 2008, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of its opening. The restoration programme is expected to cost £40 million, and involves not only repair and cleaning of the building, but also improvement of visitor facilities - such as accessibility for the disabled, and provision of additional educational facilities.

Because of its prominent and recognizable form on the skyline, a view which is protected from many vantage points, St Paul's is often used in movies as part of an establishing shot to place the viewers in London.

Soho

Soho is an area of central London's West End, in the borough of the City of Westminster. It is an area of approximately one square mile bounded by Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, Shaftesbury Avenue to the south, and Charing Cross Road to the east.

The area which is now Soho was grazing farmland until 1536 when it was taken by Henry VIII as a royal park for the Palace of Whitehall. The name Soho first appears in the 17th century. The name is derived from a shortening of Somerset House, a grand palace to be found to the south of the strand, built in 1547. It is part of Soho folklore that the area’s name derives from the ancient ‘soho!’ hunting call; though by the time the name was in use, hunting had ceased in the area. The name is also believed to have come from the nickname of the Duke of Monmouth who used ‘soho’ as a rallying call for his men, and who in the 1600s was among the first to build in the area. There is an indication that he may have given one of his houses the name Soho.

Soho is a small, multicultural area of central London which is home to industry, commerce, culture and entertainment, as well as a residential area for both rich and poor. For centuries it has housed waves of immigrants: the French church in Soho Square is witness to its position as a centre for French Huguenots in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Soho is famed for its many clubs, pubs, bars, and restaurants, as well as late night coffee shops that give the street an ‘open all night’ feel at the weekends.

Soho is near the heart of London's theatre area, and is a centre of the independent film and video industry as well as the television and film post-production industry. It is home to Soho Theatre, purpose built in 2000 to present new plays and stand-up comedy.