Royal Residences

Over the weekend we visited both Buckingham Palace in London and Windsor Castle in Windsor, probably the two most renowned residences of the English monarchy. Neither residence allowed pictures indoors, and both required steep admittance fees, even for students, but they were phenomenal. Buckingham Palace, much of which designed by the venerable John Nash, a famous English architect, possesses an ornate interior and a somewhat unassuming exterior, while Windsor Castle, originally built as a fortress on a high bluff overlooking the country, is remarkable for its formidable outward stance characterized by turrets, cannon, and imposing stone walls.

The walls of both residences are covered in beautiful paintings by famous artists. Buckingham's great room was fifty meters long and the walls were covered in paintings, mostly acquired by one king who apparently shared my appreciation for Canaletto, as almost every other painting in the room was by him. Windsor's collection mostly consisted of portraits of the royal family by notable, known artists such as Van Dyk. There were a few here and there with other subjects, especially in the King's Bedchamber.

The king never really slept in the room, but rather was used as the setting for the Levée, or formal waking ceremony of the king, a practice made notorious by the Sun King of France, Louis XIV. I didn't know the English had also practiced this ceremony, but I suppose the royalty had their cliques and shared best practices. According to Wikipedia, the court of Charles II adopted the practice in 1762.

I will link to pictures later.