Inside the Little Banqueting House at Hampton Court Palace
William III’s Baroque Jewel by the River Thames
By Historic Royal Palaces
Alexandra Stevenson, Archaeologist and Brett Dolman, Collections Curator
The Little Banqueting House and Pond Gardens at Hampton Court Palace (2017) by Miranda ParryHistoric Royal Palaces
Origins of the building
The Little Banqueting House is perched on the north bank of the River Thames, sitting on the edge of the Pond Gardens at Hampton Court Palace. It was designed by William Talman in consultation with Sir Christopher Wren and built in 1701 for William III.
The Little Banqueting House was constructed on the site of a late 15th - early 16th century Mill House and was in part built re-using some of the materials from this earlier building as well as from the demolished 16th century Water Gallery located a small distance east along the river. Echoes of the Old Mill House can still be seen in parts of the Little Banqueting House today.
The Pond Gardens at Hampton Court Palace (2016)Historic Royal Palaces
The Little Banqueting House was built as part of the redevelopment to the south of Hampton Court emulating Louis XIV’s menagerie at Versailles.
Aviary Garden outside Little Banqueting House (2023)Historic Royal Palaces
However, William III only got as far as creating an aviary in the garden to the east of the building, which contained 12 separate enclosures with a wrought iron, painted and gilded centre-piece by the French Huguenot Smith, Jean Tijou.
Little Banqueting House on the River Thames by Andrew ButlerHistoric Royal Palaces
William III used the Little Banqueting House as a tranquil retreat from the main palace, where he could have intimate gatherings with those closest to him. The building has often been referred to as "William III’s Smoking Place."
The main banquet room with its gloriously painted 18ft ceiling is a perfectly secluded spot, with seven large sash windows overlooking the river.
The function of the Little Banqueting House changed over time and by the first half of the 19th century it was given over as a Grace and Favour residence which led to some significant structural changes. Sir James Reynett lived in the Little Banqueting House between 1836 and 1864, removing some of the groin vaulting in the basement to build a kitchen and creating a tiny servant’s quarters in the attic.
Luckily most of the beautiful Baroque decorative schemes were left largely undamaged.
The Banqueting House, Hampton Court PalaceHistoric Royal Palaces
Baroque Drama in the Painted Room
The Painted Room is an explosion of colour and gilded extravagance. It is typical of the baroque love-affair with creating an illusionistic three-dimensional interior space, open to the sky, overpainted onto a plainly coved ceiling and walls.
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The original decorative scheme of 1701 is all largely intact. The wood carvings are by Grinling Gibbons and the exquisite mirrors are by the royal cabinet maker Gerrit Jensen.
The Banqueting House, The Painted Room by Antonio VerrioHistoric Royal Palaces
Dominating the room are the painted murals of Antonio Verrio, with elaborate and flamboyant gilding work by Peter Cousen. Each scene is presented as if it was a framed painting, surrounded by garlands of flowers and within a carved architectural setting.
But it is all pretend – a trompe l’oeil trick that makes the room appear fantastically magnificent.
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Around the walls of the Painted Room, Verrio painted various scenes from the Metamorphoses of the Roman poet Ovid, racy tales about the lives and loves of the ancient classical gods and goddesses.
The Banqueting House, The Painted Room by Antonio VerrioHistoric Royal Palaces
But there is a little more to these paintings than immediately meets the eye...
Minerva surrounded by the Arts and Sciences (1701) by Antonio Verrio and Peter CousenHistoric Royal Palaces
The King and his Audience
On the ceiling of the Painted Room, Minerva, goddess of wisdom and patroness of all wise things, presides in Majesty over assembled allegorical figures representing the Arts and Sciences.
The Arts and Sciences are attended by the Four Winds, who also have representations of the Four Seasons to keep them company, along with their zodiacal identifiers: Here a figure representing Winter is paired with Capricorn and the harsh, ice-breathed North Wind.
Some of the arts and sciences are readily identifiable: Astronomy, crowned by a circle of stars; Painting, with an easel and brushes; Music, with trumpet; and Sculpture, presenting a carved bust of William III himself...
His appearance here is a clear message to royal guests about the civilising wisdom of the King, across all the seasons!
Indecent stories and Victorian sensibilities
There are two more full-colour murals by Verrio in the Painted Room. Both are taken from the stories of Ovid.
Here, the river-god Alpheus is in lustful pursuit of the nymph Arethusa, while the goddess Diana attempts a rescue, concealing Arethusa by a cloud before magically transforming her into a stream.
In the final scene, Bacchus liberates Ariadne from her misery on the island of Naxos.
The Cretan princess had been abandoned there by an ungrateful Theseus, who Ariadne had helped escape the infamous Minotaur and the Labyrinth created by her father King Minos.
We can just glimpse Theseus’ ship departing Naxos in the background.
Later, Bacchus throws Ariadne’s crown into the air, immortalising her as a constellation in the heavens.
The Banqueting House, Hampton Court PalaceHistoric Royal Palaces
Provocative tales and naked gods and goddesses were part of the visual furniture of the Baroque court. But tastes changed...
In 1864, the Banqueting House was granted as a residence to a Miss Baly, whose mid-Victorian sensibilities were offended by Verrio’s baroque exuberance. She wrote to the Lord Chamberlain:
"I find very objectionable the large undressed figures in the frescoes on each side of the fireplace." and suggested that they be painted over or concealed behind large bookcases.
Today, the Painted Room can once again can be seen in its original indelicate splendour.
We hope you enjoyed this brief look inside at the beautiful details of the Little Banqueting House. Fancy seeing more? Visit Hampton Court Palace to explore more.
