Buckingham Palace, the London residence of the monarch, is the most familiar of all the royal palaces to the general British public, in so far as everyone, sooner or later, migrates to London. Unfortunately the spectator sees only a somewhat depressing and stereotyped building, lacking the majestic proportions of Windsor and the stately beauty of Hampton Court, representing, indeed, the very lowest ebb of English architecture. Yet, in spite of its uninspiring exterior, it is full of interest, for present-day life throbs within its walls, the nation's history is bound up with it, and it pulsates with memories of the Queen who won the hearts of her people as a young girl and kept them all through her long and honoured life. As a palace, its life-story is just beginning; three sovereigns only, excluding our present King, have lived within it.

Buckingham Palace, from the Lake in
St. James's Park.

In the days of James I. the site of the palace was occupied by a plantation of mulberry-trees, a royal investment, the King believing that the cultivation of silkworms would be lucrative both for himself and the nation. In this he was disappointed, but the Mulberry Gardens remained as a place of amusement for the [pg 64] public until 1675. Both Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn mention visiting the gardens, to which the fashion of the Restoration resorted to eat mulberry tarts.

When the Mulberry Gardens were first instituted, a keeper had been appointed by the King, and the office continued long after the work had become a sinecure. The keeper's official residence became known as Goring House, when Lord Goring purchased it in 1632. On the death of Lord Goring, Henry Bennet, Lord Arlington, bought the mansion, and later on succeeded in adding to his property the famous gardens, when they were closed to the public. According to John Evelyn, Lord Arlington filled his house with the most rich and handsome furniture, all of which perished in a disastrous fire which broke out in 1674. The house was rebuilt, receiving the new name of Arlington House, and was afterwards sold to John Sheffield, Duke of Buckinghamshire.

Not content with the building of the former owner, the Duke pulled down Arlington House and erected the immediate predecessor of the present palace, calling it after himself—Buckingham House. It was apparently a dignified-looking mansion, much admired in its time, having a flat roof adorned with statues, and large gilded letters making Rus in Urbe.

Soon after he came to the Throne, George III. bought Buckingham House from the Duke of Buckinghamshire's successor, and some years later altered it to suit his convenience, at the same time spoiling the general outline of the building. But King George and Queen Charlotte liked the house where most of their children were born, and carried on there the same placid domestic [pg 65] life that they led at Windsor and at Kew. The children were brought up most severely, the Queen even carrying out the whipping herself, but the success of the system was not obvious, considering the later life of the young Princes. Though King George's simplicity is much laughed at, the nation owes something to his foresight and intelligence, in collecting a large library in his London house. For many years he spent ￡2,000 a year upon books, until he amassed the splendid collection now known as the King's library in the British Museum, George IV. having presented it to the nation. It was in this library that Dr. Johnson had his famous interview with the King, whom he described as the finest gentleman he h............