InfoBritain

 

Banqueting House

Queen Elizabeth the First was a frugal monarch and rarely spent money on building projects. Her successor, King James the First was much more enthusiastic about making his mark with buildings. The Office of Works was revitalised under James. He had a Banqueting House built, which burnt down within a few years. Then architect Inigo Jones was appointed Surveyor to the Crown, and he built a second Banqueting House in Whitehall, London, opening in March 1621. This building was once part of the much larger Whitehall Palace, which burnt down in 1698. Royal receptions and functions took place here, as they still do today. In fact it is worth checking opening times before you visit, since the Banqueting House can be closed to the public at short notice for government use.

 

James's son Charles the First loved the Banqueting House and had the greatest painter of the day, Peter Paul Rubens, decorate the ceiling with incredible painted panels. The centre panel has James being taken up to heaven by figures representing Justice, Religion, Victory and Wisdom. The painting above the throne has James sitting in a representation of the temple of Solomon. The paintings are a depiction of the divine right of kings. It was painfully symbolic that in January 1649, following his defeat by Parliament in the English Civil War, Charles was brought to this same room, to step through a window onto a scaffold to be executed. I don't know whether Charles's Parliamentary enemies were cruelly making a point by holding the execution here: perhaps it was a bizarre coincidence that Charles walked to the scaffold beneath Rubens' portrayal of a king's divine nature. This was also the room where William and Mary were proclaimed king and queen, after Parliament had deposed James the Second in the Glorious Revolution. Once again it is a strange situation to have monarchs being appointed by Parliament beneath a huge picture portraying the divine right of kings.

In some ways echoes of the monarch's god-given power continued at the Banqueting House after Charles the First's death. When his son Charles the Second was restored to the throne by Parliament in 1660, as well as enjoying glittering receptions at the Banqueting House, he revived the tradition of "touching the king's evil." This was a ceremony where a person suffering from scrofula would touch the king's hand and thereby hope to be cured. There was also the ceremony of the giving of Maundy money on the Thursday before Easter. In this ritual, which mimicked Christ's washing of the feet of his disciples, the king would wash the feet of some of his poor subjects and then provide them with gifts and a grant of money. The giving of Maundy money continues as a royal tradition to this day - although the Queen doesn't do any washing of feet. The ceremony of is a reminder of the time when monarchs were God's representative on Earth, giving out their blessings beneath a huge painting confirming their divine status.

Copies of the Rubens painting on bone china crockery are available in the gift shop.

Opening Times: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. Banqueting House is closed on Sundays, Bank Holidays, December 24th, and sometimes at short notice for government functions.

Directions: The Banqueting House is in Whitehall. The nearest main line station is Charing Cross. The two closest underground stations are Westminster and Charing Cross. Click here for an interactive road and satellite map centred on the Banqueting House.

Access: access for wheelchair users is difficult. There is a staircase to the Main Hall, and access via a lift through an adjacent building is only available in exceptional circumstances and by prior arrangement. Braille and sound guides are available.

Contact:

phone: 44 (0) 870 751 5178

web site: www.hrp.org.uk