The new year can be a good time to pay a visit to some of the UK’s many grand stately homes, palaces, and other monuments and buildings of interest. Or, if you are not prepared to brave the inclement weather, you can begin by exploring our image library.
Delve into our collections to see early plans for many royal residences and gardens including Buckingham Palace and Hampton Court. You can also view architectural sketches of iconic buildings such as the Tower of London and panoramic drawings from as far back as the 16th century. Discover more from notes written on some of the plans, such as the suggested alterations for Kensington Palace below.
Architectural plans are mostly found in our WORK series, which contains records of the Office of Works and its successors relating to the planning, construction and maintenance of buildings and structures, as well as records from the Ancient Monuments Boards and Inspectorate on the protection and care of ancient monuments.
Many photographs of buildings from across the UK and the rest of the world can be found in COPY 1. See our images below of industrial Newcastle at the turn of the century and a celebrated former lighthouse in Plymouth, now a memorial to its designer.
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Engraving of Old Somerset House, c.1720
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/work30-269-engraving-of-old-somerset-house-about-1720-1821.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 30/269
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Copy made in 1741 of the original 1597 plan of the Tower of London and its 'Liberties'
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/mph1-214-(2)-tower-of-london-draught-of-the-tower-liberties-1597-copy-made-1741.jpgCatalogue reference: MPH 1/214 (2)
-tower-of-london-draught-of-the-tower-liberties-1597-copy-made-1741.jpg)
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Tower of London's new barracks sections, 18th century
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/work31-131-tower-of-london-new-barracks-sections-18th-century.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 31/131
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Alterations to Kensington Palace Gardens, 1924
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/lrro1-4453-13-kensington-palace-gardens-alterations-1924.jpgCatalogue reference: LRRO1 4453/13
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Hampton Court drinking fountain design, 1858
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/work34-615-(2)-hampton-court-drinking-fountain-design-1858.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 34/615 (2)
-hampton-court-drinking-fountain-design-1858.jpg)
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Plan of Restormel Castle in Cornwall, 1920
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/work31-1585-restormel-castle-cornwall-coloured-plan-1920.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 31/1585
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King George II statue renovation, Golden Square, 1946-1954
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/work20-283-king-george-II-golden-square-renovation-1946-1954.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 20/283
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Perspective view of Sandal Castle, 1561
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/mpc1-97-perspective-view-of-sandal-castles-1561.jpgCatalogue reference: MPC 1/97
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Smeaton's Tower, Plymouth, 1895
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/copy1-419-smeaton-tower-plymouth-1895.jpgCatalogue reference: COPY 1/419
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Buckingham Palace perspective view of picture gallery, 1914
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/work34-1404-buckingham-palace-perspective-view-of-picture-gallery-1914.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 34/1404
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Buckingham Palace plan of royal gardens, 1845
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/work34-17-buckingham-palace-plan-of-royal-gardens-1845.jpgCatalogue reference: WORK 34/17
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Newcastle upon Tyne, 1901
/images/imagelibrary/showcase/architecture/copy1-450-(87)-newcastle-upon-tyne-1901.jpgCatalogue reference: COPY 1/450 (87)
-newcastle-upon-tyne-1901.jpg)
This is just a selection. Contact licensing@nationalarchives.gov.uk for more image solutions.
-tower-of-london-draught-of-the-tower-liberties-1597-copy-made-1741.jpg)
-hampton-court-drinking-fountain-design-1858.jpg)
-newcastle-upon-tyne-1901.jpg)
