The Banqueting House & Whitehall

As the first example of Renaissance architecture in Britain, the Banqueting House - completed in 1622, is one of the country's most important buildings - and it was also once part of a vast Royal Palace. Way2GoGuides helps you explore it - discover how one moment King Charles I was enjoying lavish theatrical spectaculars in it, the next he was walking through it to his execution. Also, hear the secret story behind Whitehall's most famous address - 10 Downing Street.

Download our free FastFacts to help plan your visit to the Banqueting House and Whitehall. Duration: 61:31

1 Way2Go The Banqueting House and Whitehall 2 Horse Guards Parade 3 Whitehall 4 King James I 5 Inigo Jones 6 The Masque 7 The Ceiling 8 Execution 9 King or not King 10 Smelly Feet and Running Sores 11 Downing Street 12 The Banqueting House and Whitehall Connections

SEE

Banqueting House website

Inside Downing Street
Take a virtual tour courtesy of the Number 10 website

The Masque
Masques usually had just a single performance and though almost all their music is now lost, many of Inigo Jones’ costume designs survive. Some including blue-haired torchbearers at Elizabethan Costume

Map of Whitehall 1658
Zoom in to see Henry VIII’s tiltyard, his stables on today’s Trafalgar Square, Scotland Yard where the visiting King of Scotland stayed and the Royal cock-fighting pit on the site of Downing Street. British Library

Whitehall Palace
A birds-eye drawing made not long before its destruction in 1698. OldLondonMaps

Charles I’s death warrant
Signed by 59 commissioners including Oliver Cromwell. The National Archives

London 2012 Olympic Games
Horse Guards Parade is the venue for Beach Volleyball. More at London 2012

HEAR

Music for the Banqueting House
The music that begins Chapter 7 is by William Lawes and would have been performed for Charles I at Whitehall. Lawes was a great friend of the King but was killed in the Civil War despite being made an officer to keep out of danger. A CD and mp3s of music for Charles’ court from Amazon

Trooping the Colour
The ceremony celebrating the Queen’s official birthday takes place on Horse Guards Parade and features the massed bands of the British Army. A CD from Amazon

WATCH

Trooping the Colour 2008
BBC coverage on YouTube

Elizabeth I
The Channel 4 film recreates the old Whitehall Palace. The beginning on YouTube, the DVD from Amazon

Whitehall today
Take a virtual walk along it with Seety