Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
minster,
www.changing-the-guard.com
). Buckingham Palace pageantry is canceled when it
rains, but the Horse Guards change regardless of the weather.
▲
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
doorstovisitors,whoenjoyarestful20-minuteaudiovisualhistory,a30-minuteaudioguide,
andalookattheexquisite banquetinghallitself.Asatouristattraction, it'sbasically onebig
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:
£5 (includes 10 percent optional donation), includes audioguide,
Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, closed Sun, last entry at 16:30, may close for government func-
tions—though it usually stays open at least until 13:00 (call ahead for recorded information
about closures), aristocratic WC, immediately across Whitehall from the Horse Guards,
Tube: Westminster, tel. 020/3166-6155,
www.hrp.org.uk
.
London'scentralsquare—attheintersectionofWestminster,TheCity,andtheWestEnd—is
the climax of most marches and demonstrations, and a thrilling place to simply hang out. A
recent remodeling of the square has rerouted car traffic, helping reclaim the area for Lon-
don'scitizens.AtthetopofTrafalgarSquare(north)sitsthedomedNationalGallerywithits
grand staircase, and to the right, the steeple of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, built in 1722, inspir-
ingthesteeple-over-the-entrancestyleofmanytownchurchesinNewEngland.Thepedestal
called the Fourth Plinth (see map) is often topped with a temporary work of art. In the cen-
ter of the square, Lord Horatio 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 surrounded by spray-
ing fountains, giant lions, hordes of people, and—until 2005—even more pigeons. A former
London mayor decided that London's “flying rats” were a public nuisance and evicted Tra-
falgar Square's venerable seed salesmen (Tube: Charing Cross).
