The restored Banqueting House in central London has confirmed it will fully reopen to the public in August, following a major restoration that brings step-free access and improved environmental controls to one of London’s most important historic interiors.
A limited number of preview days will continue to take place before the full reopening.
Delivered by Historic Royal Palaces, the project has upgraded visitor facilities while carrying out essential conservation works to safeguard the building for the long term. A new lift now provides step-free access to the Main Hall, allowing more visitors to experience the space and its centrepiece: the spectacular Rubens ceiling.
To help protect the artwork, new air-source heat pumps have been installed on the roof, and the building has been reconnected to the Whitehall District Heating System, significantly improving temperature and humidity control. A new sustainably sourced English oak floor has also been laid, following the removal of the previous floor to replace heating pipes and services. The work offered archaeologists a rare opportunity to explore beneath the floorboards for the first time since 1964, uncovering objects left behind by earlier craftsmen.
Built in 1622 for King James I and designed by Inigo Jones, the Banqueting House is the last complete survivor of the lost Palace of Whitehall, most of which was destroyed by fire in 1698. It was created as a setting for lavish court entertainments known as masques, but later hosted diplomatic events and royal ceremonies.
In 1630, King Charles I commissioned Peter Paul Rubens to paint the ceiling, a series of nine panels celebrating the reign of his father, James I of England. Installed in 1636, the ceiling remains the only surviving work by Rubens still displayed in the space for which it was created. Thirteen years later, Charles I of England was led beneath it on his way to execution on a scaffold outside the building.
The Banqueting House now reopens as both an events venue and visitor attraction.
Preview days will take place on 20th March, 3rd April, 1st May, 29th May and 26th June.
Preview day tickets: Adults £7.50 / Concessions £6.00 / Children (under 16) and HRP members go free
Tickets are available here.
Banqueting House is on Whitehall, a few minutes walk from Westminster, Embankment or Charing Cross tube stations.
Banqueting House will fully reopen with a new visitor experience on 1st August 2026.
Prices from 1st August: Adults £10.00 / Concessions £8.00 / Children (under 16) and HRP members go free. There is also a £1 ticket for those in receipt of certain means-tested financial benefits.
The Banqueting House is also available for private and corporate events, with bookings now available and site visits on request.
