Designed by the architect John Nash, at the request of King George IV, the Grand Staircase is a magnificent example of his skilful design.
The balustrade with its intricate pattern of acanthus, oak and laurel leaves represents the best of the craft of bronze casting.
When compared with those of the many aristocratic town houses built in London at around the same time, the staircase at Buckingham Palace occupies a notably confined space. But this allowed Nash to place more emphasis on the vertical dimension, and to draw on his experience of London theatres, where space in front of the auditorium was usually at a premium.
The transition from the comparative darkness of the Grand Hall to the bright daylight of the Grand Staircase imparts a sense of excitement and expectation so that the visitor reaches the top in a suitable frame of mind.
Today, the stairs are used by almost all visitors to the State Apartments at Buckingham Palace, whether they are on their way to an Investiture in the Ballroom, a reception or visitors on a tour of the building.
There are plaster reliefs on all sides of the landing, with playful groups of amorini in the curved lunettes, and friezes below representing the Four Seasons.
The stairs are lit by a shallow dome of glass which was engraved and etched by the firm of Wainwright.
Queen Victoria requested that the series of portraits of her immediate family were displayed around the upper part of the stairs. These include her grandparents, George III and Queen Charlotte, her parents the Duke and Duchess of Kent and her predecessor on the throne, her uncle William IV, and his wife Queen Adelaide. Thus the portraits served as a kind of ‘receiving line’ so that whoever climbed the staircase was simultaneously received by her family.
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