Quingo Scooters aims to deliver to you a weekly dose of the UK’s best attractions and days out, perfect for you and your family. With so many attractions to choose, from we’ve narrowed it down to a truly royal day out!
We’re taking you to the capital, London, as part of our Accessible Attractions guide. The city itself it boasts a huge number of attractions – enough to keep you busy for a couple of days. However, in light of the recent celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s 91st birthday, we decided a royal day out would be fitting.
A true royal
Plan your visit to the spectacular State Rooms in Buckingham Palace, serving as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty, as well as the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household. Did you know that it’s one of the last few remaining working royal palaces in the world? During the warm summer months visitors can tour the grand State Rooms when the Palace is not being used in its official capacity.
The State Rooms were designed for Monarchs to receive, reward and entertain their subjects and visiting dignitaries. Still to this day, the Queen and members of the Royal Family use the rooms to entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions.
The rooms
The Palace’s 19 State Rooms reflect the style tastes of George IV, who commissioned the Architect John Nash to transform the Palace previously known as Buckingham House. Many of the featured pieces of furniture, such as sparkling chandeliers, candelabra and other works of art, were bought or made for Carlton House – George IV’s London home when he was Prince of Wales.
In the present day, the State Rooms are furnished with many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection; including paintings by Van Dyck and Canaletto, a sculpture by Canova, exquisite pieces of Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world.
Many of the State Rooms have a particular use even today. In the Throne Room, the Queen on special occasions such as Jubilees, receives loyal addresses. On 29 April 2011, the room was used for the setting of the formal photographs following the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In the Music Room, guests are presented to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and the Visiting Head of State on the occasion of a State visit. The White Drawing Room, one of the grandest of all the State Rooms, serves as a royal reception room for The Queen and members of the Royal Family to gather before official occasions.
Admissions and opening times
The Palace is open from Saturday 22 July – Thursday 31 August from 9.30am – 7.30pm with the last admission at 5.15pm. From Friday 1 September – Sunday 1 October the Palace is open from 9.30am – 6.30pm with the last admission at 4.15pm. Typically a visit lasts two to two and a half hours. Tickets for adults are £23, over 60s and students £21, under 17s and disabled people £13, under 5s go free and for families (two adults, three under 17) £59. More information can be found here.
An accessible attraction
There is accessibility access and step-free access available via a separate entrance at the front of the Palace. For guests wishing to utilise this, they must pre-book by contacting the Specialist Sales team, for more information click here. There is access for Scooter Users, access is within the Quadrangle and the Garden as well as being permitted inside the Palace providing they are compatible for the lifts. For more information on access in and around the Palace click here. Parking is available for those visitors that are disability-parking pass-holders who require step-free access, however this must be pre-booked before visiting by contacting the Specialist Sales team (mentioned prior).
About Quingo
The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.
Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC). AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.
