The Medieval Origins of Westminster Palace
A History of London’s Houses of Parliament
The building is still a royal palace and was once home generations of the royal family. It now houses the official offices of the UK’s government.
The Origins of the Palace of Westminster
The first palace to occupy the site of Westminster Palace was built by Edward the Confessor in around 1060. Although much of the building was rebuilt in the fourteenth century, Westminster Hall, within the palace, dates to the eleventh century.
The medieval Palace of Westminster stands on an ancient site, which is believed to date to at least Roman times. In the seventh century, the site was home to a Saxon church and in the ninth century, to an order of Benedictine monks.
The site’s use as a palace came into being through King Canute, who set up a royal home here in the eleventh century, before the Norman Conquest. William the Conqueror was crowned at the nearby Westminster Abbey and it was his son, William Rufus, who started work on the current Palace of Westminster, parts of which still stand today.
King John, whose reign began in 1199, made much use of the palace, moving the Treasury, Courts of Common Pleas and the King’s Bench to Westminster. It is from this date that the palace began to be seen more as a centre of law and administration than a royal home.
St Stephen’s Chapel and The Jewel Tower in Westminster Palace
St Stephen’s Chapel was originally intended as a private place of worship for the monarch and his family. The chapel was designed for King Edward I and was a two-storey structure, completed in 1347, with space for private worship on the first floor, with a public chapel for the royal household below. The upper storey was destroyed by fire in 1834, but the lower part of the building is still incorporated into the palace’s buildings.
The Jewel Tower was built in the mid 14th century, to safely house the valuables of King Edward III. It was built in an L shape to make the most of the gardens and was separate from the rest of the palace buildings. The tower was used for the storage of royal jewellery and ceremonial clothing. The tower still stands and is nowadays used as an exhibition venue.
Westminster Hall, the Largest Hammer Beamed Roofed Building in Europe
Westminster Hall, which is the oldest surviving part of the Palace of Westminster, was built for William Rufus, son of William the Conqueror, between 1097 and 1099. The hall was originally used for state banquets and coronation celebrations and was later the seat of the Royal Court of Justice.
The famous hammer beam roof was designed by Hugh Herland in the 1390s. The magnificent design replaced wooden pillars, which were previously used to hold up the roof.
The hall has played host to many important medieval figures and was the setting for the assemblies which deposed King Edward II in 1327 and received King Richard II’s abdication in 1399.
A fire in 1512 effectively ended the Palace’s use as a royal residence, coincidentally, almost exactly at the end of the medieval period.
Sources
Ackroyd, Peter London, The Biography [Anchor, 2003]
A comprehensive history of Westminster Palace and the Houses of Westminster can be found at the British Parliament website.
Westminster Palace has Medieval Origins
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