The Banqueting House

How is this so lowly rated? Yes, it is a simple space with spectacular molding, ornate ceilings, large chandeliers and some old-​timey, Tudorish costumes to take pictures with but it still is a 400-​year vestige of Italianish-​Renaissance design during a demure architectural era in England. I preferred this one room to all the tacky decorations and interior design of Buckingham Palace. As the only surviving room of the former Whitehall Palace this was indeed tiny, but it was easily one of my favorite spaces in London as I just stood there, threw myself down a beanbag and stared at the ceiling for half an hour.
The room itself was used for banquets, receptions, plays and masquerades a few centuries ago while the religious-​based panels were memorable in and of themselves. A two hour audio guide can explain the history of the room even though I did not spend the hour or more it took to listen to the guide. My admission was free with the London Pass but I would gladly pay the $ 8 American to see it again.

I visited last week after hours as part of a pilot group for their new interactive experience which they should be launching next summer so I don’t think all the info/​headsets were available like during the day however it was good to see the banqueting hall which has the most spectacular ceilings. Unfortunately didn’t get to learn anything about white hall palace so need to spend some time now googling and I wasn’t so excited by the experiences I piloted but some people were very impressed!
It is only two rooms so a small place. I wouldn’t pay to visit again and I do agree they need to do something to make it more interactive so hopefully come next summer they will have launched something exciting for visitors! Watch this space…

This is a really tiny museum (well its not really a museum), but an important building historically — as the only part of the palace to have survived the fire.
There is an informative video about the history of the Banqueting Hall and a very tiny exhibit on the ground floor. But the reason you want to visit this building would be the brilliant ceiling on the first floor painted by Reubens.
For a wonderful experience, bookmark your calendar for the 30^th of January to attend the Mass commemorating the Martyrdom of King Charles I at this spot, when some of his relics are also brought out on display.
There’s a tiny gift shop which has a few interesting books and a smaller collection of souvenirs you would get at any of the other Historic Palaces around London.
Very clean large washrooms and a huge powder room too. But you need to have a paid up entry to get inside.

If you get a membership to all the Royal Palaces (including the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace), this is one of the five places your membership includes entry to, and is probably the smallest. But even if you’re not a member, it’s cheap to get into. When you first go in, you’re directed down a hallway, at the end of which has an informative video about the history of the Banqueting House as background. You’re also given an audio guide, which you begin listening to upstairs.
It’s only one big room, but it’s beautiful and vast and there’s a lot to see. The audio guide walks you through every detail of the room and its history. Banqueting House is the last remaining part of Whitehall Palace that didn’t burn down in a big fire in the 1600s. Theatre and banquets were held there. Charles I was executed there. It’s interesting to learn all about this place most people don’t know much about right on such a famous road; we spent about 2 hours there in all, listening to most of the quality audio guide.

Hall d’égard
La visite de la Banqueting House se résume à une salle d’apparat, un grand hall de réception, mais dont le plafond est un ensemble de toile de Rubens, glorifiant le roi Jacques d’Angleterre, un chef d’oeuvre dans son genre, et qui né fait pas regretter la rapide visite… Le seul défaut est que cela peut faire un peu mal au cou, à force de lever la tête pour admirer les couleurs somptueuses et les compositions parfaites du maître flamand ! Note: ⁷⁄₁₀.