Buckingham Palace Road

Buckingham Palace Road

Buckingham Palace Road in 2008
Other name(s)	A3214
Former name(s)	Chelsea Road (18th century)
Postal code	SW1
Nearest train station	Victoria
Northeast end	Birdcage Walk
Southwest end	Ebury Bridge Road

Buckingham Palace Road is a street in Victoria, London. It runs from the south side of Buckingham Palace towards Chelsea, forming the A3214 road and is dominated by Victoria Station.

In the 18th century, it was known as Chelsea Road and was often frequented by highwaymen, a reward of £10 being offered for the capture of one of the worst offenders in 1752. Towards the southern end, Victoria Station was opened in 1866 and the adjacent Victoria Coach Station was built in 1932 in the Art Deco style. In 1938, the Empire Terminal of Imperial Airways opened opposite the coach station, designed by Albert Lakeman, also in the Art Deco style. It allowed passengers to check-in before boarding special trains from Victoria Station to Croydon Airport or Southampton Docks for the flying boat service. The terminal continued in service until the end of the 1970s, by which time there were dedicated rail or bus connections to Gatwick and Heathrow Airports. It is now the headquarters of the National Audit Office.

In June 1917, the Imperial Headquarters of The Boy Scouts' Association (since 1967, The Scout Association) moved to 25 Buckingham Palace Road from the previous office at 116 Victoria Street. It was in that building that the Boy Scouts' International Bureau (now the World Scout Bureau) was inaugurated in 1920. The UK Scout Headquarters remained at that address until December 1974, when it moved to Baden-Powell House. The Girl Guides Association (now Girlguiding) rented offices within Scout Headquarters until 1929 when there was no longer storage space for the Association's records. Following a national fundraising campaign called "Save Our Stuff" the Guides were able to move into their own purpose-built headquarters at 17-19 Buckingham Palace Road, which they still occupy today.