• Whichever entrance you leave Charing Cross Station, head for Trafalgar Square and the start of Whitehall...

///damp.paying.closed 

 

At the top of Whitehall, on a tiny traffic island in front of Trafalgar Square, is a statue of King Charles I on horseback. This spot is recognised as the centre of London for the purpose of indicating distances by road. The king’s fate is marked in several places along this walk.   ///puppy.trout.nation

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The name of this major road is taken from the Palace of Whitehall that once stood on the site. The palace was the main residence of the royal family from 1530 to 1698 when the building was largely destroyed by fire. Henry VIII, the most famous royal resident, married two of his wives - Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour - at the palace and also died here in 1547. In its ruins, large government buildings were constructed, some of which remain today. 

 

• Carry on down Whitehall…

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You’ll see the second plaque of this walk entitled ‘Canterbury Province New Zealand’ set low into a wall. This refers to a meeting of the Canterbury Association to plan the province's settlement on the 16th of December 1850 by English settlers led by John Robert Godley.   ///grants.bleak.span

 

• Walk a little further along the East (left-hand) side of Whitehall…

 

The sprawling Admiralty buildings, shown in the original print opposite, date from 1726. Originally home to the Royal Navy’s administration, this was Britain’s first purpose-built office complex. In 1760 – 1761, the Admiralty Screen – a row of columns against a blank wall – was added by the architect Robert Adam to hide the buildings from the newly widened Whitehall. There are two plaques here tucked away inside this screen.   ///hurt.barks.over

 

Across the road, on the corner of Craig’s Court, the Silver Cross pub used to be an Irish bank, set up in 1694 as part of the new Bank of England to help fund the monarchy and government. This tiny cul-de-sac is rumoured to house the Government's secret telephone exchange - ‘Q Whitehall'.