With all its modifications over the centuries, by the late 17th century the Palace of Whitehall was a mishmash of architectural styles. From Tudor towers to the Palladian Banqueting House designed by Inigo Jones in 1619, it was described as one of the largest, most complex and beautiful palaces in Europe – or most ugly if you agreed with the French Duc de Saint-Simon.
Disaster struck at four in the afternoon on 4 January 1698, when a basket of linen left out to dry besides a charcoal fire set alight. It wasn't the first accident to befall the palace: just seven years earlier, a similar mishap in the Duchess of Portsmouth's lodgings almost claimed the royal residence. But this time, the destruction was all but complete.
Efforts to save the palace were chaotic. Servants ran around frantically trying to save the furnishings, but were impeded in their efforts by the courtiers, who had bolted their doors against looters, thus getting in the way of workmen who were desperately trying to blow up the buildings in advance of the encroaching flames. It was all mostly in vain.A marble bust of Charles I by the great Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini and a Michelangelo are among the treasures believed lost in the fire.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Banqueting House and the beautifully ornate Tudor Holbein Gate survived, although an unsentimental London demolished the gate in 1759 to make way for a road. But there were those who mourned the still smouldering ruins. The reigning William III declared valiantly that "if God would give him leave, he would rebuild them much finer than before". He even fetched Sir Christopher Wren to set to it.
But God wasn't the problem the Treasury was, in that it was empty. Queen Anne, who followed William in 1702, promised to put aside £100,000 for six years to fund the rebuilding of Whitehall Palace. Her endeavours, too, came to nothing. So the wreckage was swept away, and the politicians later moved in. Perhaps it's not for nothing that the Cabinet Office today sits on the site of the old cockfighting pit.
-
The top stocks in the FTSE 100After a year of strong returns for the UK’s flagship index, which FTSE 100 stocks have posted the best performance in 2024?
-
A junior ISA could turn your child’s pocket money into thousands of poundsPersuading your child to put their pocket money in a junior ISA might be difficult, but the pennies could quickly grow into pounds – and teach them a valuable lesson about money
-
31 August 1957: the Federation of Malaya declares independence from the UKFeatures On this day in 1957, after ten years of preparation, the Federation of Malaya became an independent nation.
-
13 April 1960: the first satellite navigation system is launchedFeatures On this day in 1960, Nasa sent the Transit 1B satellite into orbit to provide positioning for the US Navy’s fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines.
-
9 April 1838: National Gallery opens in Trafalgar Square
Features On this day in 1838, William Wilkins’ new National Gallery building in Trafalgar Square opened to the public.
-
3 March 1962: British Antarctic Territory is created
Features On this day in 1962, Britain formed the British Antarctic Territory administered from the Falkland Islands.
-
10 March 2000: the dotcom bubble peaks
Features Tech mania fanned by the dawning of the internet age inflated the dotcom bubble to maximum extent, on this day in 2000.
-
9 March 1776: Adam Smith publishes 'The Wealth of Nations'
Features On this day in 1776, Adam Smith, the “father of modern economics”, published his hugely influential book The Wealth of Nations.
-
8 March 1817: the New York Stock Exchange is formed
Features On this day in 1817, a group of brokers moved out of a New York coffee house to form what would become the biggest stock exchange in the world.
-
7 March 1969: Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Victoria Line
Features On this day in 1969, Queen Elizabeth II took only her second trip on the tube to officially open the underground’s newest line – the Victoria Line.
