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

Website: www.christophermoran.org/news/crosby-hall-the-most-important-surviving-domestic-medieval-building-in-london

 

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