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Raffles 1887
RAFFLES READS
Walking around Whitehall
Whitehall is an area of London rich with history and all its attendant oddities. Co-author of The OWO book CLIVE ASLET takes us on a walking tour of its extraordinary palaces and majestic monuments and, below, signposts us to his 20 favourite places to visit within walking distance of the Old War Office.
WHEN you step out of the sumptuous marble vestibule of The OWO, some of the most famous buildings in Europe are within sight. At one end of Whitehall lie the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey; at the other is Trafalgar Square with Nelson’s column. This is a dense concentration of architecture, the explanation for which lies in the deep history of this part of London.
Imagine away the cars and the buses, and go back in your mind’s eye to the Tudor period, if not before, when Westminster was detached from the City of London. Out in the fields and parkland were three royal palaces: the Palace of Westminster (as the Houses of Parliament should really be called), St James’s Palace and Whitehall Palace. The Palace of Westminster and St James’s Palace still exist. The biggest and most sprawling of them, Whitehall Palace, was destroyed by fire in the late 17th century, and the King who might have rebuilt it, the Dutch Prince who married Queen Mary, William III, was asthmatic, so he built a palace at Kensington where the air was better for his lungs.
Today all that survives of Whitehall Palace is Inigo Jones’s Banqueting House next to The OWO: a hall of pleasure built for the court entertainments of James I and Charles I. James I can be seen being taken up to heaven on the ceiling painted by none other than Rubens. It was from a window in the Banqueting House that Charles I made his last walk on earth, stepping out onto the scaffold on which a heavily disguised executioner (not wanting to be targeted by the mob) cut off the King’s head. Today, that brave but ineffectual king is remembered in the elegant equestrian portrait which looks down Whitehall from its plinth on the south side of Trafalgar Square.
London was small in those days. Statesmen and courtiers could walk from one palace to another in a few minutes. Much has changed in the intervening centuries, but this remains a great city for walking. That may be why I live here. I love to walk, enjoying the rich history and attendant oddities of the place I was born, quite a long time ago. I would now like to share some of my favourites with you.
No visitor to London can miss the Palace of Westminster, most of which was rebuilt after a fire in 1834. What most people wrongly call Big Ben – that is the name of the largest bell, not the tower, which used to be called the Clock Tower but was renamed the Elizabeth Tower after the late Queen Elizabeth II in the year of her Platinum Jubilee, 2012 – is internationally known as a symbol of London. Beside the Elizabeth Tower is a survivor of a much earlier age: Westminster Hall, built by William the Conqueror’s son, William II, who came over from France to hold court there in 1099. There was probably no other hall on this scale in Europe at the time. Richard II remade it with a hammer-beam roof – a phenomenon of medieval carpentry.
Next to the palace, an abbey was begun by the last of the Saxon kings, Edward the Confessor, who wanted to be buried there. This was literally the West Minster. It appears in the Bayeux Tapestry, the record of William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066: a mason is shown crossing between the two buildings to erect the weathercock that was the finishing touch. Edward the Confessor was a saint as well as a king – one reason that Henry III rebuilt it as a bulwark to the monarchy when the cult of St Thomas Becket, who had been first a friend and then an enemy to Henry II, attracted so many pilgrims to Canterbury.
St James’s Palace was first used as a hunting lodge, a place to which the monarch could retreat. Beside it, St James’s Park is a memory of the old deer park. Charles II and his brother, the Duke of York (the future James II), would often be seen there, surrounded by dogs. In 1661, he observed the ‘Duke of York playing at Pellmell, the first time that ever I saw the sport.’ Pellmell gave its name to the modern street of Pall Mall, the heart of gentlemen’s clubland. What is now Trafalgar Square was once the setting for another kind of sport – it was the site of the Royal Mews, where early kings kept their horses and hawks.
Behind Whitehall Palace, the banks of the Thames were lined with great ‘inns’, built for the use of rich archbishops and other prelates when they visited the court. These got into the hands of the country’s most powerful noblemen during the Tudor period. The Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector of England who ran the country for the boy king Edward VI, gave his name to Somerset House and lived there until he was toppled and executed. Somerset House became, traditionally, a property of the English queens, the last who lived there being Charles I’s widow, Henrietta-Maria. After her husband’s execution, she returned at the Restoration with an entourage of 24 manservants: being French, she dressed them in long black velvet cassocks emblazoned with nothing but a golden sun. So chic.
Like the site of Whitehall Palace itself, these splendid residences had outlived their original use once the court moved west to Kensington. Some were redeveloped as residential streets, which often still bear the names of their illustrious former occupants – Charles Villiers, the mighty Duke of Buckingham lives on in Charles Street, Villiers Street, Duke Street and Buckingham Street; alas, the Of Alley that once existed is no more. Those that were still owned by the monarch were allocated to civil servants. This was the case with Somerset House, begun to the designs of Sir William Chambers as supremely elegant offices for the Royal Navy and other government departments. It is now home to the Courtauld Gallery and more than 120 creative organisations, such as dance companies and the British Fashion Council.
The plot on which The OWO stands underwent a similar transformation. When the offices previously used by the War Department were found not merely to be inconvenient but possibly lethal, since several prominent officials had died of typhoid in them, the site of a new building was identified on Whitehall. It was still in the hands of the Office of Woods and Forests which managed Crown land. The generals and administrators took possession in 1906 but stayed for less than a century. In 2023 it opened in splendid style as a hotel, Raffles London at The OWO. The rest, as they say, is history.
CLIVE’S HIDDEN LONDON
I hope you enjoy discovering some of London’s other treasures which I have chosen for you. Here are 20 places to visit within a short walk of the Old War Office. Perhaps I’ll see you in some of them. Happy walking!
Aldwych Underground Station
Now on a branch line going nowhere, this is a not-so-secret intact historic station, formerly called Strand. Opened in 1907, it was designed to relieve pressure on the horse-drawn vehicles along The Strand for theatre-goers. The exterior, in ruby-red glazed terracotta glory, was designed by Leslie Green and the interiors exude Arts and Crafts glamour. The platforms closed in 1917, and have since become a regular haunt of film-makers, featuring in films such as Die Another Day, Atonement, The Krays and Sherlock.
Berry Bros & Rudd
Wine merchants of St James, the store dates back to the 17th century. Don’t let its modest size deceive you. The cellars extend for two acres beyond its street-level footprint. Upstairs the huge scales are capable of weighing men (or ladies) and the ledger of sales includes the famous dandy, Beau Brummell.
Algerian Coffee Stores
Established in 1887, this historic coffee shop is stocked with in excess of 80 coffee and 120 tea varieties. Its pillar-box red shopfront remains under family ownership. Inside, the authentic 19th-century counter, shelves and signage exude nostalgia.
James Smith & Sons
Purveyors of umbrellas and walking sticks. This is THE umbrella destination in the way that Saville Row is the destination for fine tailoring. Dating back as far as 1880 this shop has been sympathetically refurbished – its huge range is provided by an in-house workshop in the basement. You’d never have to put up with an inside-out brolly again!
County Hall
Today County Hall is, for the most part, a hotel. However, the octagonal Council Chamber is hidden away from modern life and is perfectly preserved. Seating 200, the room is lavishly decorated in black marble and green-veiled marble from the Continent.
The Royal Automobile Club
Designed by the same architects who created The Ritz, the RAC at Pall Mall has its own rifle range, indoor swimming pool and Turkish baths. It was built on the site of another Old War Office – Cumberland House – in a Parisian style achieved through the work of French craftsmen.
King Henry VIII’s Wine Cellar
One of the few remaining parts of Whitehall Palace – the main royal residence of the Tudors and Stuarts – which burnt down in 1698. This cellar survives under the Ministry of Defence, having been shifted, encased in steel and concrete, 3m sideways and 6m down at the request of Queen Mary (1867-1953) to save it from redevelopment during the construction of the new MoD buildings above.
The Royal Institution
If you need scientific inspiration, look no further. Michael Faraday’s laboratory – where he made his discoveries on electromagnetism – is preserved in the lower ground floor, while the theatre with its 19th-century Japanese wallpaper and original demonstration desk has been sensitively refitted for 21st-century comfort.
L. Cornelissen & Son
It’s not Ollivander’s wand shop, but it isn’t far off. Trading since 1855 a few steps from the British Museum, this store has retained its Victorian fittings and is a magnet for artists. You can buy anything you’ll need to create a masterpiece.
Geo F. Trumper
Bedecked with glass display cases and individual mahogany cubicles, this is a rare surviving example of a gentlemen’s barbershop. Built in 1912 this elegant Mayfair establishment in Curzon Street is a glimpse of times past, yet continues its original function to this day.
In and Out Club
More properly named the Naval and Military Club, this institution started life in 1862 as a comfortable London home for officers of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force. Its nickname of the ‘In and Out’ originated from the carriage gates at the club’s previous HQ, Cambridge House at 94 Piccadilly, and has been carried forward to its new clubhouse at No 4 St James’s Square. Former members include T. E. Lawrence and Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond.
Marlborough House
Built for Sarah Churchill, the first Duchess of Marlborough, in 1711, it has served as home and Royal Palace. In 1959 it became the Commonwealth’s headquarters at HM Queen Elizabeth’s request. Its crowning glory are the lavish interiors, remodelled in part by William Chambers.
John Lobb Ltd
Makers of fine footwear since 1866, British bootmaker John Lobb counted the late Princess Diana and Frank Sinatra among its customers. Oxford or Brogue, calf or ostrich, you can buy it here although such quality doesn’t come cheap – a pair of shoes can cost up to £4,000 and take up to six months to craft.
Interestingly, Raffles Boston was the first hotel in the world (in 2023) to offer shoe polishing using Lobb's sustainable shoe care line made from natural ingredients including beeswax, shea butter and natural pigments.
National Liberal Club
Hailed in 1887 as “the most imposing clubhouse in the British metropolis”, it was founded by Prime Minister W. E. Gladstone. While non-members have limited access, the fine exterior is the work of Alfred Waterhouse, architect of the National History Museum, in the Renaissance Revival style. It has featured in films from the James Bond movie Skyfall to Marvel’s Doctor Strange.
Regent Street Cinema
Now independent, this Art Deco cinema is older than it looks. Hidden above the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the auditorium is an 1848 cast-iron roof. Early shows would have been a far cry from today’s crystal-clear projections. Lantern slides combined with live performances such as Dickens’s The Haunted Man were enjoyed by its Victorian audiences.
The Wolseley
Built in 1921 as a showroom for Wolseley cars, the interior is a striking mix of white vaulted Florentine ceilings and black Chinese lacquer work set on a black-and-white marble floor. It spent nearly 80 years as a showcase Barclays Bank, before being transformed into the Wolseley restaurant in 2003.
Westminster Cathedral
Less than 15 minutes from its more famous neighbour, Westminster Cathedral is very distinctive with its crisp red and white banded exterior in the Italian, Neo-Byzantine style. Built in 1850, the campanile, or tower, offers some of the best views of London.
Westminster School
Part of the Westminster Abbey World Heritage Site, the school was built in 1090-1100AD in part of the Benedictine Abbey’s dormitory. College Hall survives as a complete medieval dining hall – now the Refectory. Also of note are the two 17th-century libraries – Dr Bushby’s Library and Ashburnham House. Alumni include St Paul’s Cathedral architect Christopher Wren and author of Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne. Tours of a selection of our historic buildings can be arranged for members of the public during the school’s holidays.
Writer and historian CLIVE ASLET is Visiting Professor of Architecture at the University of Cambridge and co-author of The OWO. His latest book, Sir Edwin Lutyens: Britain’s Greatest Architect? (Triglyph Books) was published in May 2024.
Photography by Dan Welldon
Additional research by Rebecca Lilley
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