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Review of: Banqueting House Entrance Ticket in London
WHAT IT IS. ☞ Charles I’s palladian ceremonial hall originally standing awkwardly in the midst of Tudorian houses. ARTISTIC VALUE. ☞ The ceiling is a foreign commission, made by the one and only, Peter Paul Rubens. HISTORIC VALUE. ☞ The last house standing from the Whitehall Palace - the fire of 1698 destroyed the entire palace except this. Charles I was executed right outside the house. WHAT TO DO. ☞ G/F: Watch an educational video in the chamber here. 1/F: You’ll find these tablets mounted in the middle of the hall, and there you can find all the information you need. The screen keeps returning to the homepage. Which is annoying. Move the cursor constantly to avoid it. FUN FACT. ☞ Turn left as you enter the main hall and you’ll see the problem of oval frames: a character’s head is cut off due to mismeasurement. The figure happens to be Ignorance and in the scene he’s being overcome by Minerva.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
Spending a couple of days in London, we decided to visit the Banqueting House on Saturday morning, after a gap of many years since we last enjoyed the building. Spectacular architecture by Inigo Jones and an awe inspiring ceiling by Rubens. Make sure you use the excellent free audio guide which brings the whole history of the building to life. Enjoy viewing the ceiling either via the handily placed mirror for the less able or for the more agile by lying back on the flexible bean bag style seating. Looking across Whitehall to the crowds jostling for the perfect selfie with the Horse Guards, all in the wind and rain, it seemed a shame that more were not enjoying this great building which has played such a big part in British history. The staff were very welcoming and helpful.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
12 Helpful votes
Helpful
So, the Rubens ceiling is fantastic as is the room but to my surprise as I stepped out,across the street Boris is playing reshuffle the deck and who should turn up ? See if you can identify them ( sorry for photograph as I was on the other side of the street ) It's been a right royal day …
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Date of experience: February 2020
1 Helpful vote
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Just across the road from Horse Guards on Whitehall is The Banqueting House, the last remaining part of the Whitehall Palace. The thought that the last thing Charles 1 saw before he was executed was the magnificent Ribena ceiling is haunting. There is a great audio guide and you can lie on the bean bags and stare at the ceiling - great way to spend an hour or so and remember you can get 2 for 1 tickets if you travel by train ( I have no financial interest...other than being a taxpayer.) …
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Date of experience: February 2020
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
One of the less well known historic sites in London Banqueting House is a short walk from either the Houses of Parliament or Trafalgar Square. The £7 entrance fee is very reasonable and their is a guide book for £4.99. Below the main hall is the undercroft which shows a short but interesting introductory video. There are also toilets on this level. The main hall is up the stairs and as the main attraction is the ceiling painted by Rubens there are lots of ways to view it including large mirrors, computers and best of all bean bags where you can just lie back and gaze upwards. There is a complementary audio guide which tells you about the paintings and the fascinating history including how this is the only part of the palace of Whitehall that survives and the execution of Charles I. …
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Date of experience: February 2020
1 Helpful vote
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