The Waterloo Banquets — Part One
Robin James
Welcome to the Apsley House and Wellington Arch blog! I thought I would start things off with a post about Wellington’s Waterloo Banquets, and it will be in two parts. Here is Part One…
Whilst working or volunteering at Apsley House, we have probably all heard of the Waterloo Banquets. It is an event that is linked very closely with the history of the house, and for the first Duke of Wellington it provided the opportunity to celebrate his military achievements amongst his fellow soldiers. The banquet was held annually for three decades in rooms of the house that are now open to the public, starting in the State Dining Room and later moving to the Waterloo Gallery after its completion in 1829. Banqueting, hosting and entertainment were a huge part of life at Apsley House. The opulent nature of its interior décor demonstrates Wellington’s need to impress, and the lofty social status of the guests that came to Apsley House necessitated this. They were the kinds of people used to life in the great palaces of Europe or the country houses of England, as well as our close neighbour Buckingham Palace. Wellington’s fame and status meant that visitors to London from across Europe and beyond were keen to dine at ‘Number One London,’ and this had a strong influence on the house’s decoration and interior style. Redevelopment and remodeling in the years after Waterloo were extensive, and these left the house with a strikingly different appearance. The palatial residence that was left behind to the next generation still draws visitors today. In January 1853, Apsley House was opened to the public by the second Duke in order to celebrate his father. Visitors to the house were amazed and excited to see how such a famous man had lived, and the event was reported by The Times. The newspapers were particularly keen to describe Apsley House’s Waterloo Gallery, which is unsurprising given the grandeur of the room and the collection of paintings held within. The Times had this to say:
For upwards of 30 years did the Duke here assemble around him the chiefs with whom he fought his last battle, and here, as time rolled on, he found himself among the last of that distinguished band of veterans, the greatest spared longest to witness permanence of his fame.
As this extract suggests, the Waterloo Banquet was very much a military affair. It was an exclusively male event, as can be seen in the painting of the 1836 banquet by William Salter that hangs in the Portico Drawing Room. The painting, although on display to the public, belongs to the private collection of the Duke of Wellington. Therefore, I can only include a study of the painting (also by Salter) in this post. As engravings of the painting proved popular, a lot of these can be found online in other collections. I have provided links to some of these below. Wives and other female companions did not attend the dinner, and can be seen entering the Waterloo Gallery from the adjoining Yellow Drawing Room to listen to the speeches. With many people already excluded from attendance at this banquet, the guest list was made smaller still by the fact that all in attendance must have served as an officer at Waterloo. Like Wellington himself, these men were the elite of the British Army. The possible pool of potential guests numbered 1770 men. Whilst Apsley House can boast some very large spaces for entertaining, it could by no means accommodate so many people for dinner. The capacity of the Waterloo Gallery was approximately 80 guests sat around a very long table. It is rather unfortunate that many of the officers who served at Waterloo would have never received an invitation to dine with the Duke. Presence at Waterloo did not actually guarantee an invitation to the Waterloo Banquet. Military success after Waterloo was an important determining factor, and those who had been distinguished elsewhere may have been more likely to be invited to Apsley House each year on the 18th of June. There is also the fact that some men, such as the Marquis of Anglesey, would undoubtedly be invited every year. In total over the thirty years of the banquet, only 179 of the 1770 potential guests actually received invitations.
As well as the 80 or so military guests, the banquet would be joined by the reigning monarch. In Salter’s painting, William IV can be seen sitting on Wellington’s right. On Wellington’s left sits William I, King of the Netherlands. In future years, Prince Albert would attend the banquets instead of Queen Victoria. There may also be an ambassador from one of Britain’s allies present. It was a very closed event. There would be no journalists present to report on the evening’s events, and nobody would be admitted who was not invited by Wellington himself. It was not uncommon for the Duke to receive requests from individuals who were keen simply to act as spectators, watching the banquet as it happened without even taking part. These requests were all denied. The Duke did allow some individuals to witness the services as they were laid out before the banquet, but the evening itself remained very much a closed circle. So great was the interest in witnessing the arrangement of the dinner services that tickets had to be produced to manage the admittance of these spectators. During the day of the 1836 banquet (the year depicted in Salter’s painting) the Morning Post reported that:
…every part of the spacious apartment… [was] constantly crowded with a succession of elegant company.
As I’m sure you can imagine, the 18th of June was probably one of the busiest days for the Duke of Wellington. Throughout his whole life, his association with Waterloo remained strong. For many, the best way to mark the day was to visit the battle’s victor at his London address. In 1850, The Times listed 178 individuals who came to Apsley House to visit and congratulate the Duke for his victory. These individuals came from many walks of life, and included representatives from the royal family, the army, the navy, the clergy, members of parliament, aristocrats and ambassadors from several allied nations. These were only those who came to see the Duke in person, and many more wrote to him to express their thanks and admiration. There are also accounts of correspondence from complete strangers, and Wellington received written requests for his autograph. I am not sure whether he replied to any of these, but it is nice to think that some Londoners may have received a letter in the post from Wellington.
Of course, whilst the Duke dealt with his many well-wishers, there would have been plenty more to do to prepare Apsley House for a banquet. The Duke’s staff will have been making preparations for the hugely important evening that was to follow. Behind the opulence of the state rooms at Apsley House, in the basement kitchens and servants’ parts of the house there would have been continuous activity to prepare furniture, food and everything else that went with a night of entertainment, and all of it on a grand scale. Between 1822 and 1828, it was the Dining Room that was the subject of all this preparation. Completed in 1819, it was added to the house to provide Wellington with a venue large and visually impressive enough to host his illustrious guests. The room’s tall scagliola columns topped with gilt capitals, an enormous chandelier and a series of full-length royal portraits will have helped to create the ideal setting. Only on one occasion was the banquet held outside of Apsley House. This was in 1829 during the construction of the new picture gallery that we now know as the Waterloo Gallery. Conveniently for Wellington, residence at 10 Downing Street during this period provided a place away from the building work to conduct his banquet. The banquet then returned to Apsley House for another twenty-two years with the last one held in 1852, the year of Wellington’s death.
The longevity of this banquet serves to demonstrate its significance. As a celebration of the achievement at Waterloo it was extremely effective. Throughout the years that it was held it assisted in preserving Wellington’s association with the battle, strengthening his image as a national hero. The consistent celebration of Wellington by the people of London cemented Waterloo as not only a personal victory, but a national one that everyone could take part in. Although the banquet was reserved for an elite few, the 18th of June could be celebrated by the whole nation. This will be explored further in Part Two.
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Some interesting links:
If anyone would like to find out more about this topic, I recommend reading ‘Serving His Country: Wellington’s Waterloo Banquets, 1822–1852' by Luke Reynolds. This can be found at https://academic.oup.com/jvc/article-abstract/23/2/262/4989177?redirectedFrom=fulltext, and whilst it does cost money if you don’t have access to it through an institution it is an interesting read. There is also some information about the banquets in our Guidebook and Catalogue of Paintings.
If you would like to have a look at William Salter’s portrait studies used to create the painting of the 1836 banquet, these can be found by following this link: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/set/336/Studies+%27The+Waterloo+Banquet+at+Apsley+House%27
This link takes you to some information about Salter, the banquets and also an interesting original study of the 1836 banquet painting: http://www.historicalportraits.com/Gallery.asp?Page=Item&ItemID=546&Desc=The-Waterloo-Banquet-%7C-William-Salter
This link takes you to an original document advertising prints of Salter’s painting: https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3810691
If you want to be reminded of Salter’s painting when using your computer, you can buy a Historic England mouse-mat of the Waterloo Banquet here: https://images.historicenglandservices.org.uk/fine-art/illustrations-engravings/key-waterloo-banquet-n970007-4591979.html?prodid=695
Finally, this link takes you to Bonhams’ website. Last year one of the engravings of Salter’s painting was sold there: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25163/lot/254/
Robin James
