Everything about Whitehall totally explained
Whitehall is a road in
Westminster in
London,
England. It is the main artery running north from
Parliament Square, towards traditional
Charing Cross, now at the southern end of
Trafalgar Square and marked by the statue of
Charles I, which is often regarded as the heart of London. Recognised as centre of HM Government, the road is lined with government departments/ministries; "Whitehall" is therefore also frequently used as a
metonym for governmental administration, as well as being a geographic name for the surrounding district.
The name is taken from the vast
Palace of Whitehall that used to occupy the area but which was largely destroyed by fire in
1698. Whitehall was originally a wide road that ran up to the front of the palace.
Trafalgar Square was built at its northern extremity in the early 19th century. The southernmost part by Parliament Square is
Parliament Street, but there's no longer any obvious distinction between the two on the ground. Combined, the streets cover a total distance of about 0.6 mile (1 km).
History
Parliament Street was a small side road alongside the palace leading to the
Palace of Westminster. When the palace was destroyed and its ruins demolished, Parliament Street was widened to match Whitehall's width. The present appearance of the street is largely the result of
19th century redevelopment.
The
Banqueting House, built in
1622 by
Inigo Jones, is the only surviving portion of the former palace.
Charles I was executed on
30 January 1649 on a scaffold erected outside the building, stepping onto it from a first-floor window. Royalists still commemorate the
regicide annually on the anniversary of the execution.
Whitehall and the surrounding area is the administrative centre of the UK government; it's dominated by government buildings, to such an extent that the term is often used, by extension, to refer to the
British Civil Service or the government itself.
The
Cenotaph, the principal war memorial of Britain, is in the centre of the road, and is the site of the annual memorial ceremonies on
Remembrance Sunday. In 2005 a
Monument to the Women of World War II was placed just a short distance northwards from the Cenotaph.
The central portion of the street is dominated by military buildings, including the
Ministry of Defence, with the former headquarters of the
British Army and
Royal Navy, the
Horse Guards building and the
Admiralty, on the opposite side. The road also hosts
equestrian statues of
George, Duke of Cambridge, a former Army
Commander-in-Chief and
Earl Haig, Commander in Chief of the British Armies in France 1915-1918.
Downing Street leads off the south-west end of Whitehall, just above Parliament Street. It is closed to the public at both ends by imposing security gates erected in
1986. These have since been supplemented by a further gated barrier around three metres outside the main gates.
Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the
Metropolitan Police, was originally located in Great Scotland Yard off the north-eastern end of the street, but relocated to New Scotland Yard on the
Victoria Embankment in 1890.
Government buildings in Whitehall (north to south)
Other notable buildings in Whitehall
Banqueting House
Cenotaph
Monument to the Women of World War II
Whitehall Theatre
Bibliography
Whitehall Through The Centuries by George S Dugdale (Assistant at the London Museum) with black and white reproductions and plans. A foreword by Sir Edward Bridges Further Information
Get more info on 'Whitehall'.
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