Great Britain, London – Whitehall
Whitehall is a place that the English associate with no pleasing adjectives. Critics see it as a place of origin of all government controls the public. If the British refer to someone as "they", he means often people sitting in government buildings scattered over today's Whitehall Street.
For a long time, since 1235, the Whitehall used to be a London residence of the Archbishop of York. After 1530 Whitehall became the property of the Crown. It was here that in 1611 the first Shakespeare play, The Tempest, had its premiere. Glory of Whitehall was rising and at beginning of the 1690s it was the largest and most comprehensive palace in Europe. It was composed of buildings of different architectural styles and there were more than 1,500 rooms, but one night in January 1698 in Whitehall ignited a blaze that burned up in the morning. Most of the palace because almost burned to the ground. Given that this was the main residence of the English monarchy, and it took a long time to fix the palace, the royal family decided to move elsewhere. The crown never returned to Whitehall.
Due to the high costs restoration of Whitehall would cost, it has never been restored in its original scope. In the second half of the 18th century was part of the land leased for the construction of townhouses. One of the new buildings that were created here, it is even today known address 10 Downing Street, home of the British Prime Minister.
Today the most distinctive building that remained from the original Whitehall, the Banqueting House. Parts of the original palace that remained after the fire became parts of the new buildings on the ruins that were erected over the centuries.
Banqueting House is referred to by some as one of the most important representatives of British architecture. Its origins date back to 1619, when it was constructed as the first building in England in pure classic Italian tradition. When you browse around him, maybe even miss it. At first glance, this is not exactly a monumental building. In addition to other buildings seem relatively minor. However, the figures of the 17th century Banqueting House towered above the surrounding parts of the then existing Whitehall.
The interior Banqeuting House was used for centuries for various purposes. There were lavish celebrations here. For a long time functioned as a chapel until 1890. Until 1963 it was the palace museum. Today, the Banqueting House is a national monument maintained by an independent charity because. It maintenance receive no funding from the government or the royal family at. The building is also open to the public, so you definitely can not miss out when visiting London.
Text: Maxim Kucer
Photo: Wikipedia.org
Discussion at the article (0) |
Insert new contribution
Related Articles
Great Britain, London – Piccadilly, Green Park and Haymarket
Great Britain, London – Trips in a Big City
Great Britain, Brighton – A Walk on Amazing Shoreline
Great Britain, Oxford – A City of Dreams Fullfilled
Great Britain, Windsor – Gem of Berkshire
Great Britain, Windsor – A Visit to Eton, the Town of Students
Great Britain, Stansted – Open Air Museum Near the Airport
Great Britain: Chalk Cliffs – The Treasure of the Southeast Coastline
Great Britain, London – „The Navel of the World" on the Thames – VIDEO
Great Britain: London – The British Cultural and Art Giant
Great Britain: London – British Museum
Related Photogallery
Great Britain, Brighton – Landmarks on the Coastline
Great Britain: Windsor and Eton – Two Towns in One
Great Britain, Brighton – Sea Life
England: Bristol – Inconspicuous Town
Guide:
Important Information:
Information and warnings on travelling abroad is to be found HERE.