Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. The tower is Victoria Tower. This article is about Victoria Tower in London.For other places named "Victoria Tower" see Victoria Tower (disambiguation.

Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional Charing Cross, now at the southern end of Trafalgar Square and marked by the statue of Charles I, which is often regarded as the heart of London. Parliament Square is a square outside the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in London. Charing Cross is located at the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street in Central London, England. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London it is a tourist attraction its trademark is Nelson's Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Recognised as centre of HM Government, the road is lined with government departments/ministries; "Whitehall" is therefore also frequently used as a metonym for governmental administration, as well as being a geographic name for the surrounding district. In Rhetoric, metonymy (mɨˈtɒnɨmi is the use of a word for a concept or object associated with the concept/object originally denoted by the word

The name is taken from the vast Palace of Whitehall that used to occupy the area but which was largely destroyed by fire in 1698. The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones 's 1622 Whitehall was originally a wide road that ran up to the front of the palace. Trafalgar Square was built at its northern extremity in the early 19th century. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London it is a tourist attraction its trademark is Nelson's The southernmost part by Parliament Square is Parliament Street, but there is no longer any obvious distinction between the two on the ground. Combined, the streets cover a total distance of about 0. 6 mile (1 km).

Whitehall, looking south in 1740: the rebuilt St. James's Palace and Jones' Banqueting House (1622) on the left, Kent's Treasury buildings (1733-37) on the right; the Holbein Gate was finally demolished in 1759. St James's Palace is one of London's oldest Palaces It is situated on Pall Mall in London, just north of St Iñigo Jones ( July 15, 1573 &ndash June 21, 1652) is regarded as the first significant British architect, and the first to bring The Banqueting House is the only remaining component of Whitehall Palace, and is found at the Trafalgar Square end of Whitehall, London. William Kent (born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, c 1685 &ndash 12 April 1748) was an eminent English Architect, Landscape

History

Parliament Street was a small side road alongside the palace leading to the Palace of Westminster. When the palace was destroyed and its ruins demolished, Parliament Street was widened to match Whitehall's width. The present appearance of the street is largely the result of 19th century redevelopment. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

The Banqueting House, built in 1622 by Inigo Jones, is the only surviving portion of the former palace. The Banqueting House is the only remaining component of Whitehall Palace, and is found at the Trafalgar Square end of Whitehall, London. Iñigo Jones ( July 15, 1573 &ndash June 21, 1652) is regarded as the first significant British architect, and the first to bring Charles I was executed on 30 January 1649 on a scaffold erected outside the building, stepping onto it from a first-floor window. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Royalists still commemorate the regicide annually on the anniversary of the execution. The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a Monarch, or the person responsible for it

Whitehall and the surrounding area is the administrative centre of the UK government; it is dominated by government buildings, to such an extent that the term is often used, by extension, to refer to the British Civil Service or the government itself. Her Majesty's Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent Bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports UK Government Ministers

The Cenotaph, the principal war memorial of Britain, is in the centre of the road, and is the site of the annual memorial ceremonies on Remembrance Sunday. A cenotaph is a tomb or a Monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is the second Sunday of November the Sunday nearest to 11 November ( Remembrance Day) which is the anniversary In 2005 a Monument to the Women of World War II was placed just a short distance northwards from the Cenotaph. The National Monument to the Women of World War II is a British war memorial sculpture situated in Whitehall, London to the north of the Cenotaph

The central portion of the street is dominated by military buildings, including the Ministry of Defence, with the former headquarters of the British Army and Royal Navy, the Horse Guards building and the Admiralty, on the opposite side. The Ministry of Defence ( MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Horse Guards is a large Grade I listed building in the Palladian style between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade in London, England The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. The road also hosts equestrian statues of George, Duke of Cambridge, a former Army Commander-in-Chief and Earl Haig, Commander in Chief of the British Armies in France 1915-1918. An equestrian statue is a Statue of a Horse -mounted rider The term is from the Latin " eques," meaning " Knight Prince George Duke of Cambridge (George William Frederick Charles 26 March 1819 &ndash 17 March 1904) was a member of the British Royal A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces Earl Haig is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig.

Downing Street leads off the south-west end of Whitehall, just above Parliament Street. Downing Street is the street in London, England, which for over two hundred years has contained the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers It is closed to the public at both ends by imposing security gates erected in 1986. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) These have since been supplemented by a further gated barrier around three metres outside the main gates.

Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, was originally located in Great Scotland Yard off the north-eastern end of the street, but relocated to New Scotland Yard on the Victoria Embankment in 1890. New Scotland Yard or Scotland Yard, informally known as The Yard and NSY, is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible "Metropolitan Police" redirects here See also Metropolitan police. The Victoria Embankment, is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames in London.

Whitehall showing the major UK Government buildings.

Government buildings in Whitehall (north to south)

• Admiralty
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
• Old War Office
• Horse Guards
• Ministry of Defence
• Scotland Office (Dover House)
• Wales Office (Gwydyr House)
• Cabinet Office
• 10 Downing Street
• Department of Health
• Department of Work and Pensions
• Foreign Office
• HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs

Other notable buildings in Whitehall

• Banqueting House
• Cenotaph
• Monument to the Women of World War II
• Whitehall Theatre

Bibliography

• Whitehall Through The Centuries by George S Dugdale (Assistant at the London Museum) with black and white reproductions and plans. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs ( Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963 when Horse Guards is a large Grade I listed building in the Palladian style between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade in London, England The Ministry of Defence ( MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters The Scotland Office ( Oifis na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a department of the United Kingdom government within the Ministry of Justice and Dover House is a Grade I listed mansion in Whitehall, London. The Wales Office / Swyddfa Cymru is a United Kingdom government department. The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United The Department of Health (DH is a department of the United Kingdom government but with responsibility for government policy for England alone on Health The Department for Work and Pensions (or DWP) ( Welsh: Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau) is the largest government department in the Government The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing The Banqueting House is the only remaining component of Whitehall Palace, and is found at the Trafalgar Square end of Whitehall, London. A cenotaph is a tomb or a Monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere The National Monument to the Women of World War II is a British war memorial sculpture situated in Whitehall, London to the north of the Cenotaph Trafalgar Studios is a West End theatre in Whitehall in the City of Westminster. A foreword by Sir Edward Bridges ^[1]

External links

• Aerial photo and map
• Whitehall in 1669, showing the Banqueting House and Holbein Gateway
• History of the Whitehall Theatre built on Whitehall in 1930

Gallery

In 1799 many of the sites now occupied by large government buildings were covered with terraced houses and Parliament Street had not been widened. The Banqueting House is the only remaining component of Whitehall Palace, and is found at the Trafalgar Square end of Whitehall, London.

A London cab zooms between two monuments on Whitehall, between Horse Guards and 10 Downing Street Wikipedia London Portal showcase picture for April 2008.

Notes