Palace of Whitehall

The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones' 1622 Banqueting House was destroyed by fire. Before the fire it had grown to be the largest palace in Europe, with over 1,500 rooms.

Demise

In 1691, when the palace was the largest palace complex in Europe — and a jumble of buildings — a fire destroyed much of the older palace structures. This actually gave a greater cohesiveness to the complex. However a further fire on January 4, 1698 destroyed most of the other residential and government buildings. Despite some rebuilding, financial constraints prevented large scale rebuilding. In the second half of the eighteenth century, much of the site was leased for the construction of town houses.

Related Topics:
1691 - January 4 - 1698

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