The Palace of Whitehall, which is the common Landing-place for People that come out of the City by Water, is nothing to what it was possibly before the unhappy Fire began, by which it was consumed in the Reign of William and Mary. There’s a Pile of Building yet standing, which is magnificent, and is called the Banquetting-House. I was here shewn the very Window which the unfortunate Charles I. came out of, when the Usurper Cromwel made him walk from the Throne to the Scaffold. All the Buildings called by the Name of Whitehall, are now in the Hands of private Owners, by Grants of the late King George I.
St. James’s Palace, where the King lives, is only separated from Whitehall by St. James’s Park. This House has nothing in it answerable to the Majesty of the Prince who resides in it, and there are few Princes in Europe worse lodged than the King of England. I have been assured, that the Nation offered the late King George I. to build him a
new Palace; but that he made Answer, that since so many Kings, his Predecessors, had lived in that Palace, and been content with it, he thought it would do as well for him; and that he did not desire, that, for the sake of accommodating him, the Nation should be put to any sort of Inconvenience; but that its Funds might be employed in something that was more urgent, and more useful.
St. James’s Park is the same Thing here as the Thuilleries are at Paris; only this Park is more plain and artless; for here is Meadow Ground, with Walks of Trees, and a Canal in the middle of the whole. Mean time this Simplicity has a certain Beauty, which cannot be describ’d, tho’ the Spectator feels it, and prefers it to the finest Gardens. Charles II. who was vastly fond of walking out for the Air, had a mind to make Embellishments in the Park, and for this End sent to Paris for the famous Le Neautre, the Man that laid out the Garden of the Thuilleries, and the Park at Versailles. But this Frenchman, after having viewed the Park well, advised the King to let it stand as it did, assuring him that he could not make any thing better than it was. The grand Walk called the Mall, is full of People every Hour of the Day, but especially in the Morning and Evening; and their Majesties often walk in it with the Royal Family, who are attended only by half a dozen Yeomen of the Guard, and permit all Persons, without Distinction of Rank or Character, to walk there at the same Time with ’em; for which Reason the Crowd of People here is sometimes too great; but then it forms one of the most diversified Scenes imaginable: The Ladies and Gentlemen always appear here in rich Dresses; for the English, who Twenty Years ago did not wear Gold lace, but in their Army, are now embroidered and bedawb’d as much as the French; I
speak of Persons of Quality; for the Citizen still contents himself with a Suit of fine Cloth, a good Hat and Wig, and fine Linen: Every body in general is well clad here, and even the Beggars don’t make so ragged an Appearance as they do elsewhere.
Of the fine Houses that open to the Park, those of Marlborough and Buckingham are the most considerable. The former is very richly furnished, and adorned with admirable Paintings. ’Tis occupied by the Dowager of that great Duke of Marlborough, who led the English to triumph where-ever he came, and made the proudest of Kings to tremble.
Buckingham House is not so big as Marlborough House, but infinitely better situate; for it fronts the great Walk of St. James’s Park, and is only separated from it by Grates of Iron. ’Tis one grand Building, with two advanced Wings, one on each Side, that are united to the main Body of the Building, by two open Galleries, forming a Semi-circle. In the middle of the Court there’s a fine Water-work, and behind the House a great and magnificent Garden, at the End whereof there was to be a Canal, which was actually begun, but remains unfinish’d. This fine House is occupied by the Duchess Dowager of Buckingham, a natural Daughter of King James II.
St. James’s Quarter of the Town, and all the Out-parts of London in general, are very regularly built, the Streets strait, broad and airy, and want nothing but to be better paved; which is a great Misfortune, that cannot be remedied but by an excessive Expence. They say, that Lewis XIV. offered Charles II. to furnish him Stones enough to pave London, provided Charles would furnish him with Gravel from England, to lay in the Gardens of his Royal Palaces. Whether this be true, I
know not; but it seems to me that the Advantage would have been for the English Prince. Be it as it will, the Bargain was not struck, and London is still the Sufferer for want of it.
There are several great and fine Squares here, some of which, in my Opinion, would be more beautiful, were it not for the Fancy of adorning them with Gardens, which perhaps is owing to the Want of Stones for paving them. As these are encompassed with Iron Palisadoes, they look very much like Church-yards. St. James’s Square is the most considerable in London, not only for its Bigness, but for the Residence of Persons of the greatest Quality. Instead of a Garden, it contains a great fine Piece of Water, surrounded with an iron Balustrade. Three Sides of this Square are very regular; and it were to be wished, that the Proprietors of the fourth Side would be prevailed to build that in the same Manner. In this Square live the Earl of Strafford, Ambassador from Queen Anne to the Congress at Utrecht; and the Duke of Norfolk, a Roman Catholic, Earl Marshal, first Duke, and first Baron of England, Chief of the Illustrious Family of Howard; from whence was descended Catharine the Fifth Wife of Henry VIII. who had not a more happy Fate than the unfortunate Anne Bullen, who preceded her. The Duke of Norfolk’s House here has very fine Furniture, and most magnificent Pictures.