Clarence House
From 1953 until her death in 2002, the Queen Mother lived at Clarence House in a wing of St. James's Palace. It was constructed between 1825 and 1927 to the designs of John Nash. Today it is the official residence of the Prince of Wales, and is open to the public only during a specified period of the year. The present Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh lived here following their marriage in 1947. After the death of the Queen Mother, the house was refurbished and redecorated with antiques and art from the royal collection. Visitors are taken on a guided tour of five of the staterooms, where much of the Queen's collection of art and furniture is on display, along with pieces added by Prince Charles. The Queen Mother had an impressive collection of 20th-century British art, including works by John Piper, Augustus John, and Graham Sutherland. She also was known for her superb collection of Fabergé and English porcelain and silver, especially pieces from her family collection (the Bowes-Lyon family).
Copyright: Excerpted from
Frommer's London 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

London
, England