HALLS
See Also: CITY LIVERY COMPANIES; THE CITY OF LONDON The Guildhall; COURTS;
HERITAGE Harmondsworth Great Barn; PERIOD PROPERTIES, Period Rooms; WATER
SUPPLY The Great Conduit
The Banqueting House
The
Banqueting House (1622) is the principal visible remnant of Whitehall
Palace. The hall was designed for King
James I by Inigo Jones. In 1698 a fire
destroyed almost all of the palace. The
building survived the conflagration.
Subsequently, it was used as a royal chapel.
Originally,
the building was clad with a warm, honey-coloured sandstone. In the 1830s the exterior was remodelled so
that it acquired its present neoclassical character. The stone that was used to dress its exterior
had a bleak grey colour. Over the years
the buildings along Whitehall were clad to resonate with it. As a result, the street developed something
of an arid, impersonal quality.
In 1890
the House became the home of the Royal United Services Museum. The government took back the building for
official use. In 1963 it was opened to
the public. It is still sometimes used
as a venue for diverse state occasions.
Location:
Whitehall, SW1A 2ER (purple, turquoise)
See
Also: THE CHAPELS ROYAL; EXECUTIONS The Executed, King Charles I; PALACES,
DISAPPEARED & FORMER Whitehall Palace; WEATHER Wind, The Protestant Wind;
WHITEHALL
Website:
www.hrp.org.uk/banqueting-house www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol13/pt2/pp116-139
Crosby Hall
Crosby
Hall (1475) is a hall with a hammerbeam roof.
The structure was the Bishopsgate home of Sir John Crosby, a prominent
merchant who was a member of the Grocers Company. It was the tallest private residence in
London. The Duke of Gloucester lived
there before ascending the throne as King Richard III.
In 1907
the building was transplanted to Chelsea Embankment so that it could become
part of a hostel for women students. In
1995 planning permission was granted for a river front mansion that
incorporated the Hall. The new, old
style, brick building varies from the old, externally unexceptional looking
Hall.
Location:
Danvers Street, SW3 5AN (purple, red)
See
Also: DISTRICT CHANGE City Merchants
The Great Hall, Lambet.h
Palac.e
Lambet.h Palac.e is the London
residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury.
The Great Hall was where the prelates would receive and entertain their
notable visitors.
Following
the Civil Wars of the 1640s, the Hall was demolished and its materials were
sold off. Following the restoration of
the monarchy in 1660, the structure was rebuilt for Archbishop William Juxon. William Dugdale and Elias Ashmole advised him
upon the restoration. The room was given
a Gothic hammerbeam roof, which even then was deeply anachronistic. After having dined in it, Samuel Pepys termed
it new old-fashioned .
Location:
Lambet.h Palac.e Road, SE1
7JU
See
Also: TOWNHOUSES Lambet.h Palac.e
Website:
www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/lambeth-palace/about/inside-lambeth-palace
Lincoln s Inn
The
Old Hall
Lincoln s
Inn s Old Hall was built at the end of the 15thC.
Location:
Lincoln s Inn, WC2A 3TL (red, blue)
See
Also: COURTS The Royal Courts of Justice; CHARLES DICKENS Jarndyce vs.
Jarndyce; LAWYERS Lincoln s Inn
Website:
https://eventvenues.lincolnsinn.org.uk/our-spaces/the-old-hall
Westminster Hall
The
construction of Palace of Westminster was by King Edward the Confessor. Westminster Hall was built at the end of the
11thC as a Norman extension to the complex. Initially, the chamber was used as a
banqueting hall. Its roof was supported
by columns until 1397. Then hammerbeam a
structure was put in place.
From
the late 13thC until 1825, the chief courts of English law sat in
Westminster Hall during the legal term.
Out of term, they convened in a variety of other locations.
In 1834
the Palace burned down. The Hall
survived the conflagration.
Subsequently, it was decided to relocate the superior courts nearer to
the Inns of Court. The Royal Courts of
Justice (1882) in the Strand were built in order to provide them with permanent
year-round accommodation. The facility
received the courts that had previously been housed in the Hall, Lincoln s Inn,
and the Doctors Commons.
Location:
The Palace of Westminster, SW1A 0AA (purple, yellow)
See
Also: COURTS The Royal Courts of Justice; PARLIAMENT The Palace of
Westminster
Website:
www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall
David
Backhouse 2024