Palace of Whitehall Worksheets
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Summary
- History of the Palace Whitehall
- Destruction of the Palace Whitehall
- Palace of Whitehall at Present
Key Facts And Information
Let’s find out more about the Palace of Whitehall!
From 1530 to 1698, Westminster's Palace of Whitehall, also known as White Hall, served as the primary residence of the English monarchs. However, most of its structures, except Inigo Jones's Banqueting House from 1622, were devastated by fire. After the old royal apartments at the adjacent Palace of Westminster were destroyed by fire, Henry VIII relocated the royal residence to Whitehall.
A depiction of the Palace of Whitehall
HISTORY OF THE PALACE WHITEHALL
- The Palace of Westminster had served as the monarch’s primary metropolitan residence since 1049 and had become the focal point of government in England by the 13th century. The vicinity became a highly sought-after and costly location. York Place was the name of the nearby property that Walter de Grey, Archbishop of York, acquired as his Westminster residence shortly after 1240.
- While construction was being conducted at Westminster, King Edward I resided at York Place on numerous occasions and expanded it to accommodate his entourage.
- York Place was reconstructed during the 15th century and was so extensively expanded by Cardinal Wolsey that it was only surpassed by Lambeth Palace as the most impressive home in the capital city, including the King’s palaces.
- As a result, King Henry VIII acquired York Place to replace Westminster as his primary residence when the cardinal was removed from power in 1530. He inspected the property in the presence of Anne Boleyn.
- The term ‘Whitehall’ was initially documented in 1532 and was derived from the white stone used in the construction of the buildings.
- King Henry VIII commissioned the Flemish artist Anton van den Wyngaerde to redesign York Place, and he subsequently expanded it during his lifetime. He included sporting facilities, such as a bowling green, an indoor actual tennis court, a pit for cock fighting, and a tiltyard for jousting.
- Richmond Palace inspired these facilities. It is estimated that over £30,000 was spent during the 1540s, half the amount spent on the construction of the entire Bridewell Palace.
- Henry VIII adorned his gardens with carved heraldic animals, such as unicorns, that were affixed to wooden posts.
- The pillars were painted by the Serjeant Painters Nicholas Lafore and Anthony Toto. Henry VIII married two of his spouses at the palace—Anne Boleyn in 1533 and Jane Seymour in 1536—and passed away there in January 1547.
- The Tempest, a drama by William Shakespeare, was first performed at the palace in 1611. In February 1613, Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate married there.
- For James VI and I, a weather vane on the roof was connected to a wind dial or compass in a withdrawing chamber. John de Critz painted the room with a scheme of the four winds, the four extremities of the earth, and the four elements.
- James VI and I implemented substantial modifications to the structures, including the construction of a new Banqueting House in 1622. This house, designed by Inigo Jones, was intended to supplant a succession of banqueting houses that had existed since Elizabeth I’s reign. The building’s decoration was finalised in 1634 with the completion of a ceiling by Peter Paul Rubens, who was commissioned by Charles I. Charles I was to be executed in front of the building in 1649.
- By 1650, Whitehall Palace was the largest secular structure complex in England, with over 1,500 rooms. Its layout was asymmetrical, and its constituent components were of varying sizes and architectural styles, resulting in a structure more akin to a small town than a singular building.
- The courtiers’ propensity to construct additions to their designated accommodations, either at their own expense or the king’s, exacerbated the irregularity of the structures. In the 1660s, Stephen Fox, Charles II’s Clerk of the Green Cloth, was granted permission by the Office of Works to construct additions to the three chambers to which he was assigned. By the time he was completed, he had constructed a grand mansion within the palace network, complete with a coach house, stables, and a view of the Thames.
- Charles II commissioned minor works, but he also conducted extensive renovations.
- Charles II succumbed to a stroke at the palace, similar to his father.
- Christopher Wren was ordered by James II to implement various modifications, such as the reconstruction of the queen’s apartments (c.1688), the queen’s private lodgings (1689), and a chapel that was completed in 1687. The Roman Catholic chapel of James II, which was constructed during a period of intense anti-Catholicism in England, elicited both awe and criticism upon its completion in December 1686.
A depiction of Elizabeth I
THE BANQUETING HOUSE
- The Banqueting House at present had two predecessors. Elizabeth I was wooed by her aristocratic suitors in the first structure, which was intended to be temporary and was made of bricks, lumber and canvas, with a ceiling gorgeously painted with vines and fruit - all emblems of the hoped-for fertility of a marriage that never materialised.
- Despite its fragile construction, Elizabeth’s successor frequently used this old banqueting house as a masquerade ball site. James I and his bride, Anne of Denmark, enjoyed this grandiose spectacle. James eventually commissioned a larger hall from architect Robert Stickells.
- However, the King was dissatisfied with the edifice. Although highly ornate, a forest of columns supporting a gallery obscured much of the audience's perspective.
- Inigo Jones, King James’ new Surveyor of the King's Works, was chosen to construct the third and last Banqueting House. Jones was aware of the King’s dissatisfaction with his previous structure, so he created ideas for an entirely different, classical architecture. Jones had toured extensively throughout France and Italy, taking detailed notes and sketches of ancient Roman and Renaissance architecture.
- Inspired by the classical shapes he saw on his travels, he reworked components of the buildings he had seen freshly and distinctly to suit his royal clients.
- Since the Middle Ages, English rulers claimed to be able to treat or avoid ‘the King’s Evil. It's unclear what this skin disorder was, but it could be categorised as leprosy or scrofula in modern science, which creates enormous growths on the face and neck. It became known as ‘the King’s Evil', referring to the belief that the monarch’s touch could cure victims.
- James I planned to stage this mystical royal rite in his magnificent new Banqueting House, which Charles I carried on with. In 1661, his son Charles II revived the rite, quickly gaining popularity. Giving money to the poor on the Thursday before Easter is a long-standing Christian royal ritual.
- Monarchs from Charles II to Queen Victoria commonly utilised the Banqueting House for this particular ceremony, which recalled how Jesus took on the position of the lowest servant and washed his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper.
- In addition to offering money, food, and clothing, the king was supposed to wash the feet of any paupers who approached them. However, this was not a terrible chore, as a royal official ensured that the chosen paupers’ feet were thoroughly cleaned beforehand.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PALACE OF WHITEHALL
- Much of the palace was looted during the Civil War, and portions were repurposed as barracks. When Oliver Cromwell was appointed Lord Protector of the Common Realm, he made Whitehall his primary home in London. But, before that, Whitehall Palace, or more precisely the Banqueting House, which James I had completed, was to be the venue of an unprecedented historical event: the execution of an anointed monarch, King Charles I.
- On 31 January 1649, Charles was being held at St James' Palace. He donned two shirts because it was a cold morning, and he didn’t want people to assume he was terrified rather than cold. After leaving St James's, he was led across St James's Park, up through the Holbein gate, and into the Privy Chamber.
- Charles was given food and drink before being led into the Banqueting Hall, which featured a ceiling depicting the king’s divine authority. He stepped out through a hole in the wall onto a platform, and after giving a brief speech to the multitude assembled around him, he was beheaded in one stroke.
- Following the execution, Parliament began to divide the vast royal art collection and many palace furniture. Pictures of the late King were taken down, gold and plate were melted, and jewels and royal armour were sold. Members of Parliament and bureaucrats moved into palace quarters and kept the furniture for their personal use.
- Following the King’s execution, Cromwell lived in the Cockpit within the palace. In 1653, he was appointed Lord Protector, virtually the nation's head, and in April 1654, he relocated from the Cockpit to the palace’s royal rooms. Cromwell, like previous and subsequent kings, lavishly entertained at Whitehall, including army officers, Commons members, and ambassadors.
- Attempts were made to assassinate Cromwell during his term as Protector. One occurred at Whitehall in January 1656, when a plot to burn down the palace was foiled. Cromwell died in Whitehall in September 1658, possibly from influenza.
- Whitehall was offered for sale in 1659, but in February 1660, General George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle and his Coldstream Guards marched into London, effectively ending the brief republican period. Monck lived in the palace at the Prince’s Lodgings before moving to the Cockpit Lodgings, where he died in 1670. A new Parliament ordered that the palace be renovated in preparation for Charles II’s return from exile.
Plan of the Palace in Whitehall
DESTRUCTION OF THE PALACE WHITEHALL
- By 1691, the palace had become the biggest and most intricate in Europe. On 10 April 1691, a fire erupted in the extensively renovated apartment previously occupied by the Duchess of Portsmouth. The older palace structures were damaged, but the state residences were seemingly unaffected. This enhanced the cohesiveness of the remaining complex.
- In 1694, Mary II succumbed to smallpox at Kensington Palace and was laid in state at Whitehall on 24 January 1695.
- The majority of the remaining residential and government structures were devastated by a subsequent fire on 4 January 1698. A servant in an upper chamber hung wet linen around a burning charcoal brazier to dry, inadvertently starting the fire.
- The following day, the wind increased, and the fire re-ignited in the northern region. William III specifically instructed Christopher Wren, then the King’s Surveyor of Works, to concentrate his efforts on preserving the Banqueting House, the architectural masterpiece of the complex.
- Wren directed bricklayers to obstruct the primary window on the south side of the structure to prevent the flames from penetrating. The westward spread of the flames was only slightly impeded by the destruction of approximately 20 buildings to establish a firebreak.
- On 5 January 1698, John Evelyn succinctly observed that Whitehall had been consumed and that only walls and ruins remained. In addition to the Banqueting House, the so-called Holbein Gate, a few structures in Scotland Yard and those facing the park were ultimately demolished in 1769.
- Michelangelo’s Cupid, a renowned sculpture acquired as part of the Gonzaga collections in the seventeenth century, was likely among the numerous artworks incinerated during the fire. Hans Holbein the Younger’s iconic Whitehall Mural, which included his Portrait of Henry VIII, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s marble portrait bust of King Charles I were also destroyed.
PALACE OF WHITEHALL AT PRESENT
- Although it has undergone some modifications, the Banqueting House remains the sole remaining integral structure of the complex. Numerous remaining components of the old palace are frequently integrated into the construction of new structures within the Whitehall government complex. These consist of a tower and other components of the former covered tennis courts from the era of Henry VIII, which were incorporated into the Old Treasury and Cabinet Office at 70 Whitehall.
- The undercroft of Wolsey’s Great Chamber, which is now known as Henry VIII's Wine Cellar, is a notable example of a Tudor brick-vaulted roof. It is approximately 70 feet in length and 30 feet in width. It was discovered that the undercroft interfered with the proposed route for Horse Guards Avenue and the proposed design of the new structure. Provision was made for the preservation of the crypt in 1938, following a request from Queen Mary and a promise in Parliament.
- Therefore, in 1949, when construction resumed on the site following the conclusion of the Second World War, it was encased in steel and concrete and relocated 9 feet to the west and nearly 19 feet deeper. The structure was not significantly damaged during this process, and it is currently situated in the building's cellar.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Palace of Whitehall
- What was the Palace of Whitehall?
The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698. It was once the largest palace in Europe, located in Westminster, boasting over 1,500 rooms at its peak.
- Who built the Palace of Whitehall?
Built initially as York Place by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, it was seized by King Henry VIII after Wolsey fell from power. In the 1530s, Henry expanded and renamed it the Palace of Whitehall.
- Why is the Palace of Whitehall no longer standing?
A devastating fire in 1698 destroyed most of the palace. Only a few remnants, such as the Banqueting House, survived.