London - Whitehall

Whitehall, which preserves the memory of the old palace of that name, is now synonymous with the central government of the country and the civil service.

Coming from Trafalgar Square, we see on the right the Admiralty, the older part of which was built by Thomas Ripley in 1723-26, while the domed building to the rear was added between 1895 and 1907. Beyond this is Horse Guards.

On the opposite (west) side of the street is the Ministry of Defence (the old War Office), followed by the Banqueting House and Gwydyr House, a handsome Georgian building erected by John Marquand in 1772, the temporary headquarters of the Royal Commission on Local Government.

On the east side, beyond Horse Guards, are Dover House, occupied by the Scottish Office, and the old Treasury building, now housing the Cabinet Office. It was built during the reign of George I and refaced by Charles Barry in 1845.

To the right lies the little cul-de-sac with the famous name of Downing Street, adjoining the Renaissance-style Public Offices buildings, constructed to plans by G. G. Scott in 1868-1973. The north section now houses the Foreign Office, the Commonwealth Office, the Home Office and the India Office Library, containing over 250,000 volumes of oriental culture. The south section includes the offices of the Treasury and Housing Ministry. The Cabinet War Rooms at the end of King Charles Street are well worth visiting. Opposite the Commonwealth Office stands the Cenotaph.

Whitehall leads into Parliament Square, with various statues of British statesmen.