Whitehall, London in 1900

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Arthur H. Beavan's survey of London government in Imperial London, first published in 1901, continued with this look at Whitehall:

Assuredly it would be as wearisome a task to write, as to read, a description of all the Government Offices, whose statistics filed in 1900 some twenty-one pages of Whitaker's Almanack!

With most people, a little officialism goes a very long way, and their interest in it does not extend beyond the chief departments of State that environ Downing Street.

The Great Fire of 1691, that destroyed all but the banqueting-hall of Inigo Jones's palace, left intact the buildings on the side of Whitehall bordering St James' Park, where the Horse Guards' Yard, Tennis Court, Tilt Yard, and Cockpit were situated.

In process of time, these were pulled down and their sites became covered with Government Offices, scattered about the district, invariably of stunted proportions and forbidding appearance, with interior arrangements resembling a rabbit-warren.

At last, Sir Gilbert Scott was empowered to design, in Italian style, the imposing block that forms so conspicuous a feature in the view across the lake in St. James' Park; and with its completion (circa 1873), a commencement in earnest was made towards concentrating the leading Government Departments.

The Foreign Office First in importance, now that, under Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet Councils were held there, was the Foreign Office, approached from Downing Street by an entrance sharp to the right of the fine inner court.

The India Office The Foreign Office extended from Downing Street round the corner to the square tower facing St. James' Park; this marked its separation from the India Office, which reached to Charles Street.

The Colonial Office Through it the Crown's authority, such as it was, over the self-governing colonies, was exercised, and Governors were nominated, the direct executive action of the office being confined almost entirely to the Crown colonies

The War Office The War Office in Pall Mall was erected for the Duke of York, brother of George III, and called after him.

The Admiralty A rambling place, a labyrinth of narrow passages and small inconvenient rooms; but the new offices built at the rear over a portion of New Street, Spring Gardens, were light and airy, with a pleasant outlook.

Somerset House A bewildering place to visit, say for some such purpose as getting a return of Income Tax, or, at the Excise Department, for obtaining a wine licence, or, in the Department devoted to the registration of public companies.

Colonial Agencies Until shortly before 1900, the self-governing colonies had no agencies of their own in London, being represented by the Colonial Office, described by Carlyle in 1850 as "a world-wide jungle of red-tape, inhabited by doleful creatures, deaf or nearly so to human reason or entreaty."