Banqueting House

Banqueting House. See Courts of our Kings and Queens [Whitehall Palace], and Chapel Royal, Sect. the 2d.

[Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace.] the stateliest Room [of Whitehall] is the Banqueting House facing the Street, for the Reception of Embassadors, of the Members of Parliament, and other publick Uses; which for its Spaciousness, exact Proportion, and beautiful Painting, done by the Hand of the famous Peter-Paul Reuben, hath not its Parallel in all Europe.

Banqueting House, Whitehall, so called from there being originally in this place an edifice in which our Kings had public entertainments. This was a small part of the ancient palace of Whitehall, which was destroyed by fire in 1697, and only the Banqueting House, and one court left standing. See the article Whitehall.

In the reign of King James I. the Banqueting House being in a ruinous condition, that Monarch formed the design of erecting a palace on the spot, worthy the residence of the Kings of England. The celebrated Inigo Jones was employed to draw the plan of a noble edifice; this was done, and the present structure erected, as a small part of the great intended work, for the reception of ambassadors, and other audiences of state. The engraved view of it, which is here given, will best illustrate what follows.

This is a regular and august building which has three stories. The lowest has a rustic wall, with small square windows, and by its strength happily serves for a basis for the orders. Upon this is raised the Ionic, with columns and pilasters, and between the columns are well proportioned windows, with arched and pointed pediments. Over these is placed the proper entablature, and on this is raised a second series of the Corinthian order, consisting of columns and pilasters like the other; column being placed over column, and pilaster over pilaster. From the capitals are carried festoons, which meet with masks and other ornaments in the middle. This series is also crowned with its proper entablature, on which is raised the balustrade with Attic pedestals between, which crown the work. Every thing in this building is finely proportioned, as as happily executed. The projection of the columns from the wall has a fine effect in the entablatures, which being brought forward in the same proportion, gives that happy diversity of light and shade so essential to fine architecture. English Architecture.

To render this edifice as perfect as possible, the ceiling is finely painted by the celebrated Sir Peter Paul Rubens, who was ambassador here in the time of Charles I. The subject is the entrance, inauguration, and coronation of King James I. represented by Pagan emblems. It is esteemed one of his most capital performances, and may be justly esteemed one of the finest ceilings in the world. This great apartment is at present converted into a chapel, for the service of which certain select preachers were appointed out of each university, by King George I. to preach here every Sunday; for this each are allowed a stipend of 30 l. a year.

Banquetting-House, the, Whitehall, is a portion of the intended New Palace for the kings of England, designed by Inigo Jones. It is now used as a chapel, wherein services is performed every Sunday. The soldiers of the footguards who are on duty, are accommodated in a large gallery, built a few years since for their accommodation. Over the altar, are arranged the various eagles that were taken from the French in the various battles in the Spanish Peninsula and at Waterloo.

The ancient palace of Whitehall upon part of the site of which this classical and elegant room, for it is no more, is constructed, was originally built by Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent, who in 1242 bequeathed it to the convent of the Blackfriars in Chancery-lane, in whose church he was interred. In 1248, the brethren disposed of it to Walter de Grey, Archbishop of York, who left it to his successors, for their town residence, and named it York-place. It was, however, seized by Henry VIII. when Cardinal Wolsey incurred the penalty of praemunire, by which all his goods and possessions were forfeited to the crown. Henry improved it in every respect, changed its name to Whitehall-palace, added a magnificent gallery, a tennis court, a tilt yard for tournaments, bowling greens and other appendages of a royal palace, and also built the beautiful gate across the street, designed by Hans Holbein. When this gate was taken down about seventy years ago, William Duke of Cumberland had all the parts of it numbered for the purpose of having it erected at the top of the Long-walk, Windsor, but it was not carried into execution. From the time of Henry, Whitehall-palace became the royal residence of the kings of England, till 1697, when it was entirely destroyed by fire, except the present building, which had been added to it in 1619 by James I., as a beginning of Inigo Jones's splendid design, which is well known to all connoisseurs in architecture. It is built entirely of stone, and has been recently restored and renovated in a very masterly style by Mr. Soane. The elevation is divided into two principal stories, raised upon a rusticated basement. The lower story is of the Ionic order, and the upper of the Composite, with a lofty blocking course and balustrade above the upper entablature. The ceiling of the interior is by Rubens, and painted by that great master while residing in England as an ambassador. The subject is the Apotheosis of James I., and is in in nine compartments. The pictures were cleaned, repaired and new lined under the directions of Sir Christopher Wren, by Mr. Parry Walton, in 1687, and again by G.B. Cipriani, Esq., R.A., about twenty years ago.

In front of this building, upon a scaffold erected for the purpose, Charles I. was beheaded, on the 30th of January, 1648–9, having passed to the block through one of the windows. Within the area, behind this building, is a very fine statue in bronze of James II., by Grinlin Gibbons.

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*A certain writ, by which offenders in certain cases, are put out of the protection of the law.

✝See Elmes's Life of Wren, p. 448.

Banqueting House. [See Whitehall.]