Banqueting House
SW1A 2ER London Greater London
Banqueting House - King Charles I
Charles I commissioned Sir Peter Paul Rubens to paint the ceiling of Banqueting House to honour his father King James I, and honour the Stuart dynasty; it is a masterpiece and unmissable. Rubens was a Flemish Catholic. Banqueting House is all that remains of Whitehall Palace which had burned in 1698, it was the residence of English monarchs from 1530 to 1698.
Charles I was beheaded on a specifically built scaffold outside of Banqueting House (30th January 1649) and there is a special service there every year on his anniversary.
It is open daily from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (usually unavailable on Thursdays as events normally take place). Entrance fee (adult) £12.50.
Banqueting House is a 5-minute walk from Westminster tube station and a 5-minute walk from Charing Cross railway station.