Palace shows off lavish ballroom

Many investitures, including Elizabeth Taylor's, have taken place in this colossal ballroom

In this story: Public tours Lavish state rooms RELATED STORIES, SITES

LONDON (CNN) -- The public is being allowed to venture further into Buckingham Palace than ever before with this year's opening of Queen Elizabeth II's official residence.

For the first time the ballroom, the centerpiece of the palace's 19 state rooms, is being added to the tour, with more than 300,000 visitors expected to visit this year.

Measuring 37.5 by 18 meters, the ballroom is the largest room in the palace and has been used since Queen Victoria's time for entertaining on ceremonial and official occasions.

For the past seven years the Queen's official London home has been open to the public in August and September while the Royal family holidays in Balmoral, Scotland.

The doors were first opened to help fund the restoration of Windsor Castle in the wake of a devastating fire. With that now complete, money raised will go towards the redevelopment of the Queen's Gallery -- the first major building project at Buckingham Palace in nearly 90 years.

Last year 301,000 people, down 8% on 1998, took the chance to see where the Queen lives, although none of the private rooms are on display.

A drop in visitor numbers has been seen at many of London's other tourist attractions and the English Tourism Council blames it on the high level of the pound.

Built in 1856 by Queen Victoria, it is the largest of Buckingham's state rooms to be opened to the public

The ballroom was originally designed by James Pennethorne and Ludwig Gruner and opened in 1856 with a ball celebrating the end of the Crimean War, before being substantially remodeled for Edward VII between 1904 and 1911.

The venue for state banquets, receptions and investitures, it is lavishly decorated with paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens, sculpture by Canova, Sevres porcelain and some of the world's finest examples of French and English furniture.

During Queen Elizabeth II's reign, 48 heads of state have been entertained in the ballroom and it is the venue for an annual diplomatic reception hosting 1,500 guests.

During the summer opening a special exhibition -- The Fountain of Honour -- highlighting the room's use as the venue for investitures, will showcase a variety of insignia.

Another display marks Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's 100th birthday, with photographs of her life at the Palace between 1937 and 1953.

Earlier this year there was a media furor when cabinet minister Mo Mowlam suggested the royal family should move out of Buckingham Palace to somewhere more modern.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has emphasized his support for the Royal Family and their residence at Buckingham Palace.

The British Monarchy
Royal Insight: Interactive Palace Tour

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.