Nineteen years of work
Sir James Thornhill (1675–1734) spent 19 years planning and painting the hall, from 1707 to 1726. In 1720 George I knighted him, the first English artist to receive that honour.
A story of kings and queens
The paintings show about 200 figures, among them kings, queens and mythological creatures. Their central story is the creation of the United Kingdom and its rise as a European power, through the Protestant accession of William III and Mary II in 1688 and of George I in 1714.
Cleaned and conserved
The hall reopened in March 2019 after a two-year, award-winning conservation project. In 2026 the Painted Hall marks its 300th birthday.



