Banqueting House

Facts and information

Address:: Banqueting House, Whitehall, Westminster,
London SW1A 2ER
England
Website:: www.hrp.org.uk
Opening times:: 10 AM to 5 PM (Mon–Sat); Last admission 4.30 PM; May close at short notice for private events and functions
Cost:: Adults £5.00; Children free (under-16); Note: Opening times and ticket costs can change at short notice. Opening times may not apply on public holidays.
Telephone:: Work +44 (0) 844 482 7777
Buses:: 3 11 12 24 29 53 87 88 91 148 159 214 453
Trains:: Charing Cross BK NR, Embankment BK CR DS NR, Leicester Square NR PC, St. James’s Park CR DS, Westminster CR DS JBNote: The nearest station to Banqueting House is Westminster. We can help plan your journey from Waterloo, King’s Cross and many other stations
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View of Banqueting House in London’s Whitehall

^{Banqueting House, by Inigo Jones}

King Charles I being beheaded outside Banqueting House

^{Charles I being executed}

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Banqueting House was built by Inigo Jones in the early 17th-century, after a commission from James I. It was said to be truly unique—Britain’s first Renaissance building—and hated by practically everybody for a hundred years.

Inigo Jones, and Rubens’ ceiling

When Charles I came to the throne in 1625 he paid the famous Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens £3,000 to cover the ceiling in homage to his father. With magnificent decorations such as these, Banqueting House quickly became a favourite reception hall for meeting foreign dignitaries.

Unfortunately for Charles, when the English Civil War ended in the mid 17th-century, he was put to death on a scaffold outside the window. Several thousand people gathered in the street below to watch his execution.

Oliver Cromwell then moved in until his death in 1660, but with his demise came the return of the King – Charles II. He marched down Whitehall on the night of 29th May 1660, and took speeches on the very spot where his father met his maker.

A special service is still held yearly to commemorate the King’s execution.

History of Whitehall Palace

The last great event to be held at Banqueting House was after the exile of James II, when William of Orange was offered the English Crown. But when the newly crowned King and Queen chose to live at Kensington Palace instead, the House fell out of favour.

Four years after Queen Mary’s death, a great fire ripped through the building leaving just the Holbein Gates and House intact. Christopher Wren was commissioned to turn it into a private chapel, which it remained until 1890. The Holbein Gate was finally demolished in 1759.

The government reclaimed the building in 1962, and restored it to its former glory. It now serves its original purpose once more – as a reception hall for meeting foreign dignitaries.

Discuss Banqueting House in the forum

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Fish – “It's worth a visit if you've got a special interest in it, but probably wouldn't interest the casual tourist It's quite small and there's not a great deal to see -- we were in and out in under an hour But most people only go to se…”

Drummerboy’s blog – Banqueting House

Drummerboy – “Banqueting House is the kind of place that I’d never normally bother visiting if I didn’t have to do it for this blog, but once I got there I was happy I went. For an attraction that has only got two rooms (literally), it’s pretty decent. The whole place is staffed by doddery old ladies, who look like they could be friends with the Queen with their posh voices and flowery dresses and perm-white hairdos. I don’t normally get bowled over when I see a bit of art, but this room is huge. It is absolutely massive, it’s probably about four or five times the height of a normal room, and right at the far end is the king’s throne hung over by a big red canopy. When you look up at the Rubens on the roof it really is impressive.… continued.”