Banqueting House, Whitehall

 

If you like palaces and grand places, take a peep into Whitehall Banqueting House. It's not that far from Trafalgar Square, along the Whitehall road. It doesn't appear any grander from the other buildings on the outside and you may miss it. This is how the entrance looks like, and that's James' I bronze bust head, Charles' I father.

Whitehall was in my itinerary partly because of my fascination with King Henry VIII. Supposedly it was taken away upon the fall of Cardinal Wolsey (as he did with Hampton Court) and revamped to be a grander version that suited his taste better (well, he was known as one of the fashionable monarch last time). Originally it was named as named York place.He married Anne Boleyn here. Pocahontas was among the celebrated guest here.

Currently it is under the care of Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity that also took care of Tower of London, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace. So in your ticket price you may or not add in the donation portion. Some may feel that the admission rate is rather pricey but I guess it takes a lot of effort to maintain the beautiful ceiling paintings and the hall itself. Plus, what is not expensive in London? :p

On the right of the entrance is the undercroft where they put on a video show with emphasize on Charles I and a small showcase of the place's history. Sit down, enjoy the facade of candle light glow while watching the video, take a bathroom break (oh the lady's bathroom was lovely! Large mirrors, gold faucets, soft tissue paper, elegant tiles... how befitting) then ascend to the magnificent hall above.

 What greet you and may surprise or delight you (depends on how tired you are) are the bunch of beanie bags on the floor put there to allow you to gaze up and enjoy the painting by Rubens on the near - flat of your back. Pretty comfy, don't think too much of the grimes brought in by other people before you.

Gaze up, side - to - side and around you. Take in the effort of the past to bring in the Roman looks into London by architect Inigo Jones.

There are also table mirrors that you can push around to view the paintings without craning your neck. Enjoy the quiet elegance. Crowd is pretty thin when I visited in April.

Admission rate: 6 GBP (minus donation)
Opening time: 10.00 am - 1.00 pm (unless stated otherwise, may close for functions and events.)

10.00 until 13.00 Monday to Sunday

Contact:

Address:
The Banqueting House
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2ER
England
Historic Royal Palaces' 24-hour information line
Tel: 0844 482 7777 (from UK)
Tel: +44 (0)20 3166 6000 (from outside the UK)
- See more at: http://www.hrp.org.uk/BanquetingHouse/planyourvisit/contactus#sthash.svdabTef.dpuf

Address:
The Banqueting House
Whitehall
London
SW1A 2ER
England
Historic Royal Palaces' 24-hour information line
Tel: 0844 482 7777 (from UK)
Tel: +44 (0)20 3166 6000 (from outside the UK)
- See more at: http://www.hrp.org.uk/BanquetingHouse/planyourvisit/contactus#sthash.svdabTef.dpuf

A: Whitehall, London SW1A 2ER, United Kingdom

P: +44 844 482 7777
 
Website: http://www.hrp.org.uk/BanquetingHouse/Default.aspx

10.00 until 13.00 Monday to Sunday

10.00 until 13.00 Monday to Sunday(