1901 – Sir Thomas Drew’s design for Buckingham Palace, London

After the death of Queen Victoria, an architectural competition was held for a national monument to her outside Buckingham Palace. Irish architect Sir Thomas Drew had further thoughts on the setting than just a memorial out front. Buckingham House was originally built as a townhouse for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 and was acquired by George III in 1761 as a residence for Queen Charlotte. In 1825, the house was demolished and rebuilt by John Nash with further major adaptations carried out between 1846-49, when the East Wing, with its famous balcony, was added by Edward Blore. The balcony was incorporated at Prince Albert’s suggestion. By the early 20th century, the Caen stone facade was visibly crumbling and architects felt lacked the imperial gravitas required.

As our readers may remember, we have urged from the first that a part of the Victoria memorial scheme ought to consist of a new façade to Buckingham Palace, and that otherwise it would be a shabby and incongruous background to any memorial. Sir Thomas Drew has been of the same mind, and he here shows how he thinks it could be done, by bringing forward a wing at each end of the façade, so as to give shadow, and by introducing a columnar order between the windows, leaving the window openings as they are.

As treated here, the Palace front has a rich and dignified effect. Sir Thomas Drew estimates that the alteration might be carried out for about 100,000/. to 120,000/. The drawing shows also the arrangement of the ground in front of the Palace, the placing of the Memorial, and the connexion of the central road with Constitution Hill and Buckingham Palace-road.
The Builder, November 9, 1901

In 1913 it acquired the east front designed by Sir Aston Webb.