Much of the collection was inherited from the Museum of Patents (est 1858) and includes early locomotives such as Stephenson’s Rocket and Puffing Billy, and the first jet engine.
Built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham, George III acquired it in 1762 as a private house. It became an official royal residence in the reign of Queen Victoria, when it was greatly enlarged.
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Notice the clock that crowns the main building? You'll see a black mark next to the number '2'. That's the hour at which Charles I was beheaded at the neighbouring Banqueting House.
