Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Horse Guards change daily at 11:00 (10:00 on Sun), and a colorful dismounting ce-
remony takes place daily at 16:00. The rest of the day, they just stand there—terrible
for video cameras (at Horse Guards Parade on Whitehall, directly across from the Ban-
queting House, between Trafalgar Square and 10 Downing Street, Tube: Westminster,
www.royal.gov.uk
—search “Changing the Guard”). Buckingham Palace pageantry is can-
celed when it rains, but the Horse Guards change regardless of the weather.
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Banqueting House
England's first Renaissance building (1619-1622) is still standing. Designed by Inigo
Jones, built by King James I, and decorated by his son Charles I, the Banqueting House
came to symbolize the Stuart kings' “divine right” management style—the belief that God
himself had anointed them to rule. The house is one of the few London landmarks spared
by the 1698 fire and the only surviving part of the original Palace of Whitehall. Today it
opens its doors to visitors, who enjoy a restful 15-minute audiovisual history, a 30-minute
audioguide, and a look at the exquisite banqueting hall itself. As a tourist attraction, it's ba-
sically one big room, with sumptuous ceiling paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. At Charles
I's request, these paintings drove home the doctrine of the legitimacy of the divine right of
kings. Ironically, in 1649—divine right ignored—King Charles I was famously executed
right here.
Cost and Hours:
£
6 includes audioguide (and 10 percent optional donation), daily
10:00-17:00, last entry at 16:30, may close for government functions—though it promises
to stay open at least until 13:00 (call ahead for recorded information about closures), ar-
istocratic WC, immediately across Whitehall from the Horse Guards, Tube: Westminster,
tel. 020/3166-6150,
www.hrp.org.uk
.
For a brief self-guided tour of the Banqueting House—and more details about the his-
tory of the place—see
here
in the Westminster Walk.
London's renovated central square, the climax of most marches and demonstrations, is a
thrilling place to simply hang out. Lord Nelson stands atop his 185-foot-tall fluted granite
column, gazing out toward Trafalgar, where he lost his life but defeated the French fleet.
Part of this 1842 memorial is made from his victims' melted-down cannons. He's surroun-
ded by spraying fountains, giant lions, hordes of people, and—until recently—even more
