Whitehall Palace in central London, at one time Europe's largest royal residence, has been at the centre of some of the most momentous events in England's history, from the execution of Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth to the Glorious Revolution and the succession to the throne of William III and Mary II. All that remains of the palace today, however, is Inigo Jones's magnificent Banqueting House, the majority of the complex having succumbed to a devastating fire in 1698. Beginning in the Middle Ages with Whitehall s origins as the home of the Archbishop of York and covering every stage of its gradual transformation into a palace fit for the royal household, Whitehall Palace is the story of a remarkable building.
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Review
The text is engagingly written and authoritative and is also lavishly produced - a revelation and a delight - COUNTRY LIFE This is a rich - and reasonably priced - evocation that complements the already published guides to the other Royal Palaces - HISTORY TODAY Richly illustrated, this treasure of a history book tells its story in full - THE LADY
About the Author
Simon Thurley is Chief Executive of English Heritage, the former Director of Historic Royal Palaces and a leading architectural historian. His many publications include The Royal Palaces of Tudor England:Architecture and Court Life, 1460 1547 (1993) and Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History (2003).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
So little is left of Whitehall Palace that not many people who do not have an interest in the history of London would even know it had existed. The modern street called Whitehall runs through the edge of the site, the palace being located between the street and the river, around the area now occupied by the Ministry of Defence and Department of Health buildings.
This book is a superb introduction, combining authoritative learning with an accessible style and lavish use of paintings, sketches and maps to illustrate views that have simply vanished in the modern landscape. The building works are set in the context of the monarch who ordered it, including the only surviving fragment which is the Banqueting House on Whitehall. Designed for King Charles's father, tis was famously to be the site of his execution as well.
The tone of the writing was spot-on for me, giving insights into the social history and architecture without becoming academic. Currently retailing on Amazon for less than £10, this is excellent value.
This book is a superb introduction, combining authoritative learning with an accessible style and lavish use of paintings, sketches and maps to illustrate views that have simply vanished in the modern landscape. The building works are set in the context of the monarch who ordered it, including the only surviving fragment which is the Banqueting House on Whitehall. Designed for King Charles's father, tis was famously to be the site of his execution as well.
The tone of the writing was spot-on for me, giving insights into the social history and architecture without becoming academic. Currently retailing on Amazon for less than £10, this is excellent value.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book about an important part of British history
16 Dec 2008
By Tillie Traveling
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
This easy to follow book is filled with superb illustrations - artwork, drawings, and maps including one showing which parts of ancient Whitehall you can see today. Another winner by Simon Thurley and a must for both scholars and anyone interested in British history and architecture.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good for what it's worth
21 May 2012
By P. T. McConnell
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
Thurley's treatise on Whitehall Palace delivers what is expected for the price and format. At 127 pages it isn't ponderous, and Thurley's normally verbose and scholarly discourse is toned down to some decidedly light editorial content. At worst, the scholarly review of Whitehall from an architectural standpoint suffers from a simple lack of development. The exposition delivers, but leaves something to be desired in detail. Perhaps in keeping with the hodgepodge nature of Whitehall's structure and history, the book itself is at points poorly organized, particularly in points of figures and their connection to paragraphs or points in the narrative. Many of them seemed mere add-ons for the sake of visual aesthetics, though this critic isn't complaining for some rare insights into this strange monument of English architectural history. The plans are good and useful, though a scale would have been appreciated for those clearly drawn for the text. They also appear in Thurley's other work on Tudor palaces, though they are no less valuable for this.
Overall, B+. It gets the job done, and although it spends too much time on reviewing the history of the monarchs rather than their specific role in the palace's history and structure, it provides a useful and educational perspective to something many would not have experienced otherwise. I have great respect for Thurley and his work, and this does not wholly disappoint.
PTM
Overall, B+. It gets the job done, and although it spends too much time on reviewing the history of the monarchs rather than their specific role in the palace's history and structure, it provides a useful and educational perspective to something many would not have experienced otherwise. I have great respect for Thurley and his work, and this does not wholly disappoint.
PTM
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