The Royal Chapel That Became Parliament

For centuries, the House of Commons met inside a former medieval royal chapel. The British government conducted its business within the walls of St Stephen's Chapel until a massive fire leveled the structure in 1834.

Originally built in 1297 as a grand place of worship, the chapel was converted into a legislative chamber following the death of Henry VIII. The layout of the room, with benches facing each other across a central aisle, actually mirrors the original choir stall arrangement of the chapel. Although the main hall was destroyed in the 1834 fire, the lower level crypt remains intact today as a silent survivor of the old palace.