The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. Henry VIII moved the royal residence to White Hall after the old royal apartments at the nearby Palace of Westminster were themselves destroyed by fire. Although the Whitehall palace has not survived, the area where it was located is still called Whitehall and has remained a centre of the British government.
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".
Inigo Jones's plan, dated 1638, for a new palace at Whitehall, which was only realised in part.
A sketch of Whitehall Palace in 1544, by Anton van den Wyngaerde.
A plan of Whitehall Palace in 1680.
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and much of the West End cultural centre including the entertainment precinct of West End Theatre.
The Palace of Westminster
Western facade of Westminster Abbey
St Peter's Abbey at the time of King Edward the Confessor’s funeral, depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry
Westminster City Hall, completed in 1965
