Banqueting House

December 12, 2009 at 1:13 pm | Posted in General, London, Out and About, Tourism, Travel, UK | Leave a comment
Tags: Banqueting House, London, Tourism, Travel, UK, Whitehall

Opposite the Horse Guards on Whitehall you’ll see a rather unassuming building but one with a rather long history – the Banqueting House.

Via the audio tour you’ll hear about the history of the building, it’s architecture and the Ruben’s ceiling.

The most notable event to have occurred at the house was that the execution of King Charles I took place on a scaffolding outside and Charles walked through the house on his way to his death.

Architecturally it’s the only surviving part of the Palace of Whitehall that was destroyed by fire in 1619 and has had a number of uses in the intervening years before settling into its current role of, well banqueting venue for those groups willing to pay for the privilege of using this Grade 1 listed building.

The stories are all very interesting but a touch long, especially when the hall is rather bare. Luckily there is seating available.

My criticism of the audio tour is that it’s a hand held device so invariably you get a neck strain if you opt for hands free or it can be a bit tiring to hold it in the same position for half an hour or more. Well it does if you’re weak like me.

It costs £4.80 and it’s an ok venue but it’s certainly not a must do. If you’ve got the time to listen to the guide then it might be something to consider.

More photos at Flickr.