Palace of Whitehall facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Palace of Whitehall
The Old Palace of Whitehall by Hendrick Danckerts, c. 1675. The view is from the west, in St. James's Park. The Horse Guards barracks are on the extreme left, with the taller Banqueting House behind it. The four-towered building left of centre is the palace gatehouse, the "Holbein Gate".
Location	City of Westminster, Middlesex, Kingdom of England
Built	c. 1240, 15–17th cent.
Demolished	1698 (due to fire)
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The Palace of Whitehall was the main home of the English kings and queens in London, from 1530 until 1698, when all except Inigo Jones's 1622 Banqueting House was destroyed by fire. Before the fire, it was the largest palace in Europe, with over 1,500 rooms (at one time it was the largest building in the world).

The palace gives its name—Whitehall—to the road on which many of the buildings of the UK government now stand. The word "Whitehall" can also refer to the central government itself.

History

It became an official royal palace in 1530 when Henry VII was the king of England. He also included a recreation centre with a bowling green, tennis courts, a pit for cock fighting (now the site of 70 Whitehall) and a tiltyard for jousting. It is estimated that over £30,000 (approaching £11 million in 2007 values) were spent during the 1540s, 50% more than the construction of the entire Bridewell Palace. Henry VIII married two of his wives at the palace—Anne Boleyn in 1533 and Jane Seymour in 1536. It was also at the palace that Henry died. It was a lesser used palace during the reign of the next few monarchs.

Fire

The palace of Whitehall was destroyed by fire in 1698. Many of the palace's wooden structures were destroyed in the fire. Michelangelo's Cupid is to believed to have been destroyed in the blaze. After this the remaining structures were torn down. Now Whitehall has government buildings on it.

Images for kids

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  Inigo Jones's plan, dated 1638, for a new palace at Whitehall, which was only realised in part.

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  A plan of Whitehall Palace in 1680.

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  Part of a proposal for the replacement of the palace drawn by Christopher Wren in 1698. The palace was never rebuilt.

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  Henry VIII's Wine Cellar

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  Queen Mary's Steps, Palace of Whitehall

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  Banqueting House London, the only remaining component of the Palace of Whitehall

See also

In Spanish: Palacio de Whitehall para niños