Whitehall

Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. The tower is Victoria Tower.

''For other places with the same name see Whitehall (disambiguation)

Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, centre of national government, towards Trafalgar Square, arguably the heart of London for its residents and tourists. Along its way it is lined by many government ministries; "Whitehall" is therefore also frequently used as a metonym for governmental administration, as well as being a geographic name for the surrounding district .

The name is taken from the vast Palace of Whitehall that used to occupy the surrounding area but was largely destroyed by fire in 1698. Whitehall was originally a wide road that ran up to the front of the palace. Trafalgar Square was built at its northern extremity in the early 19th century. Strictly speaking, only the northern two-thirds of the street is called "Whitehall"; the southern third is Parliament Street. However there is no longer any obvious distinction between the two on the ground. Combined, the streets cover a total distance of about 1 km (0.6 mile).

Originally Parliament Street was a small side road alongside the palace leading to the Palace of Westminster. When the palace was destroyed and its ruins demolished, Parliament Street was widened to match Whitehall's width. The present appearance of the street is largely the result of 19th century redevelopment.

The Banqueting House, built in 1622 by Inigo Jones, is the only surviving portion of the former palace. Charles I was executed on 30 January 1649 on a scaffold erected outside the building, stepping onto it from a first-floor window. Royalists still commemorate the regicide annually on the anniversary of the execution.

Whitehall and the surrounding area is the administrative centre of the UK government; it is dominated by government buildings, to such an extent that the term is often used, by extension, to refer to the British Civil Service or the government itself.

The Cenotaph, the principal war memorial of Britain, is located in the centre of the road, and is the site of the annual memorial ceremonies on Remembrance Sunday.

The central portion of the street is dominated by military buildings, including the Ministry of Defence and the former headquarters of the British Army and Royal Navy, the Horse Guards building and the Admiralty respectively. The road also hosts an equestrian statue of George, Duke of Cambridge, a former Army Commander-in-Chief.

Downing Street leads off the south-west end of Whitehall, just above Parliament Street. It is no longer open to the public and is closed at both ends by massive security gates erected in 1989. These have since been supplemented by a further gated barrier around three metres outside the main gates, which makes it hard for the taxpayers, who technically own the buildings, to even see up the street.

Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, was originally located in Great Scotland Yard off the north-eastern end of the street.

Outline sketch map of Whitehall showing the major UK Government buildings.

Contents

1 Government buildings in Whitehall (north to south)
2 Other notable buildings in Whitehall
3 External links
4 Gallery

Government buildings in Whitehall (north to south)

Other notable buildings in Whitehall

Banqueting House
Cenotaph
Whitehall Theatre

External links

[Aerial photo and map]
[View of Whitehall in 1669, showing the Banqueting House and Holbein Gateway]

Gallery

Image:A View of Whitehall, looking south, 1740.jpg|Whitehall, looking south, in 1740. Image:Whitehall1799.jpg|In 1799 many of the sites now occupied by large government buildings were covered with terraced houses and Parliament Street had not been widened.

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