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Whitehall is a road in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, running two-thirds of the distance from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Square; the other third constitutes Parliament Street. The two streets cover a combined distance of a little less than a mile.
The name is taken from the vast Palace of Whitehall that used to occupy the surrounding area but was largely destroyed by fire in 1698. Whitehall was originally a wide road that ran up to the front of the palace, while Parliament Street was a small side road alongside the palace leading to the Houses of Parliament. When the palace was destroyed and its ruins demolished, Parliament Street was widened to match Whitehall's width. The two roads are all but indistinguishable on the ground, with their only distinction being a sign indicating where one begins and the other ends. The present appearance of the street is largely the result of 19th century development.
Banqueting House, built in 1622 by Inigo Jones, is the only surviving portion of the former palace. Charles I was executed on 30 January 1649 on a scaffold erected outside the building, stepping onto it from a first-floor window. Royalists still commemorate the event annually on its anniversary.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.
The CenotaphA cenotaph is a tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek words kenos "empty" and taphos "tomb". Probably the best-known cenotaph in the modern world is the one that st, the principal war memorial of Britain, is located in the centre of the road, and is the site of the annual memorial ceremonies on Remembrance SundayIn the United Kingdom Remembrance Sunday is the Sunday nearest to November 11 Armistice Day in 1918 when hostilities in the First World War ended at 11 a. Each Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most towns and villages, a.
The central portion of the street is dominated by military buildings, including the Ministry of DefenceThis articles deals with the British ministry, see defence minister for other countries. Whitehall, Westminster, London The Ministry of Defence MoD is the United Kingdom government department charged with managing the military. Ministers as of 22 August, and former headquarters of the British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces of the United Kingdom. It numbers 99,400 fully trained and professional regulars (as of April 2004). In contrast to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include royal in its title, bec and Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. It operates a number of aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, fifteen nuclear submarines, and various other ships, as well as aircraft and Britain's amphibious forces, the Royal Marines. The Royal Navy, Horse GuardsHorse Guards Road usually just Horse Guards is a road in the City of Westminster, London. It runs south from The Mall, down to Birdcage Walk. To the west of the road is St James's Park and to the east are various government buildings, including the Old Ad and the AdmiraltyFor the international law of the sea, see Admiralty law. For the area of Hong Kong, see Admiralty, Hong Kong Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander P respectively. The road also hosts an equestrian statue of George, Duke of Clarence, a former Army commander-in-chief.
Downing Street leads off the south-west end of Whitehall, just above Parliament Street. It is no longer open to the public, being closed at both ends by massive security gates erected in 1989. A van parked on Whitehall was used by the IRA to launch a terrorist mortar attack on 10 Downing Street on 7 February 1991. Fortunately the bombs narrowly missed the building and nobody was hurt. Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, was originally located in Great Scotland Yard off the north-eastern end of the street.