Delve into the history of the magnificent Banqueting House. Designed by renowned architect Inigo Jones it is the only surviving building from the old Whitehall Palace.
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Site of a grand medieval residence
Banqueting House stands on a site originally owned by the Archbishops of York. They built a house here called York Place in the 14th century, conveniently close to the King's palace at Westminster.
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Cardinal Wolsey and Henry VIII
In 1514 Thomas Wolsey was made Archbishop of York and began work to further extend York Place, which soon became a favourite visiting place for King Henry VIII .
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The Banqueting House of 1581 was meant to be temporary but it lasted for 25 years. In 1606 James I of England and VI of Scotland (1602-25) decided to replace it with a permanent building. Built of brick and stone and completed in 1609, the new banqueting house had a large hall above a ground floor basement. James's first banqueting house was destroyed in a fire in 1619.
