Visit the only complete building of the old Palace of Whitehall to have survived when that building burned down after the execution of Charles I.

The Banqueting house was built for grand occasions and has been the scene of many plays, grand balls and masques, as well as traditional banquets laid out for important guests. When you visit you will be in awe of one of the finest venues in London for both royal and high society functions.

This revolutionary building, the first in England to be designed in a Palladian style by Inigo Jones and completed in 1622, was intended for the splendour and exuberance of court masques, the Banqueting House is probably most famous for one real life drama: the execution of Charles I which took place here in 1649 to the ‘dismal, universal groan’ of the crowd.

One of Charles’s last sights as he walked through the Banqueting House to his death was the magnificent ceiling, painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1630-4. The Banqueting House and its features became much copied. Following the fall of the monarchy, Jones’ career was effectively ended. He died in 1652, never having seen the popularity of the concepts he introduced.

Location: Banqueting House, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ER

Nearest station:Westminster, Embankment and Charing Cross