 |
HOME > DESTINATIONS
The feasting chamber in Whitehall Palace is probably the most sumptuous dining hall on earth. (Unfortunately, you can't dine here unless you're a visiting head of state.) Designed by Inigo Jones and decorated with original ceiling paintings by Rubens, the hall is dazzling enough to make you forget food altogether. Among the historic events that took place here were the beheading of King Charles I, who stepped to his execution through a window onto the scaffold outside, and the restoration ceremony of Charles II, marking the return of monarchy after Cromwell's brief Puritan Commonwealth. The house often closes on short notice for official events, so it's best to call in advance if you want to see it. See the "Westminster & Victoria Attractions" map.
Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's London 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.
London
, England
Banqueting House
The feasting chamber in Whitehall Palace is probably the most sumptuous dining hall on earth. (Unfortunately, you can't dine here unless you're a visiting head of state.) Designed by Inigo Jones and decorated with original ceiling paintings by Rubens, the hall is dazzling enough to make you forget food altogether. Among the historic events that took place here were the beheading of King Charles I, who stepped to his execution through a window onto the scaffold outside, and the restoration ceremony of Charles II, marking the return of monarchy after Cromwell's brief Puritan Commonwealth. The house often closes on short notice for official events, so it's best to call in advance if you want to see it. See the "Westminster & Victoria Attractions" map.
Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's London 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.
London
, England
