A Virtual Tour by renowned guide Charlie Forman
We’re heading for a thousand years since a royal family first settled in Westminster. In that time the place has been littered with palaces. Reigning monarchs have lived in six within walking distance of each other, and this is a journey through them all. From the Palace of Westminster, to the largest palace in the Europe of its time – Whitehall. The Banqueting House – jewel in its crown – is still with us. After a century of the House of Hanover in St James’s Palace, the 1820s saw three palaces emerge on the Mall for three brothers – even though it already sported three perfectly good ones. This was palace profligacy, led by spendthrift-in-chief King George IV. With gems from five – including Buckingham Palace – surviving, this lecture brings to life a millennium of royal house hopping.
Photo by Anthony Bressy