Fires in Whitehall

The later years of the Seventeenth Century were not kind to the Palace of Whitehall. A number of fires caused considerable damage. The Palace had been all but abandoned by William and Mary. William was asthmatic - and found the riverside fogs and damp morning mists unpleasant. The great palace of the Tudors and Stuarts was moved out of - and "Nottingham House" was purchased. Today we know it as Kensington Palace. However many courtiers continued to live in lodgings within Whitehall Palace.

In 1691 a fire began when, so it was said, a careless maid allowed some candles to remain lighted. After several hours it had "consumed the greatest part of the Stone Gallery on both sides, that towards the privy garden and that towards the Thames". New buildings were designed by Sir Chritopher Wren, which included a garden and lodgings for Queen Mary. Simon Thurley writes that "the fire had in fact removed the largest residential parts of the surviving Tudor Palace and brought a greater sense of order to the remaining buildings."

Another "careless maid" was blamed for the much greater fire of 2nd January 1698. Her mistake was to leave linen drying, unattended, by an open fire. "Such was the fury and violence of this dreadful and dismal conflagration, that its flames reduced to ashes all that stood in its way from the Privy Stairs to the Banqueting House and from the Privy Gardens to Scotland Yard."

A graphic description of the fire can be found on pages 103 to 105 of Simon Thurley's "Whitehall Palace".(pictured) Only the Banqueting Hall remained intact. However the area soon became one of the most important private residential areas as leases were granted. It was only when these leases expired that Whitehall again become one of the great centres of the State.

Whitehall

.... is the most powerful street in Britain! Well actually it's the term commonly used for the whole of the Executive machinery. The most important ministries are physically in Whitehall - the Treasury; Foreign Office (and the Welsh Office!!!). Downing Street is a street just off Whitehall. Many Departments are elsewhere. (Click here for addresses).

There are some excellent books about the working of Whitehall - but the street itself has an interesting history. Over the summer I've been dipping into my library to learn a little more about a street I walk down fairly frequently. There is an official illustrated history by Simon Thurley (London: Merrell, 2008), which I picked up at the Parliamentary Bookshop. Colin Brown has also written book entitled "Whitehall. The Street that Shaped a Nation". (London: Simon & Schuster, 2009).

The street takes its name from the Palace that stood there. From it the Banqueting House remains - the place outside which Charles I was executed. Over the coming weeks I will write a few posts about this interesting street and its history.