Houses of Parliament Houses of Parliament FREE exhi bitio Parliament in the Making: St Stephen s Chapel This is the story of a great lost building at the Palace of Westminster. In the middle ages, St Stephen s was among the most magnificent royal chapels in Europe. Under the Tudors, it became the first permanent home of the House of Commons, and remained so for nearly three centuries. Exhibition at Westminster Hall 30 June 2015 5 November 2015 Opening hours Monday to Friday 10:00am 17:00pm Saturday 10:00am 17:00pm Access Cromwell Green, visitor entrance, Palace of Westminster During normal public access times www.york.ac.uk www.parliament.uk n
Queen Philippa of Hainault, wife of Edward III, by George Nayler, York Herald, watercolour, 287 x 210 mm, c.1800, copy of a painting on the east wall of St Stephen s Chapel, made originally in the 1350s (Society of Antiquaries of London, Red Portfolio 236/E, SSC 17.4). By kind permission of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
Plan showing Westminster Hall, St Stephen s Hall and the cloister, at principal floor level, H.M. Office of Works, 1902. Parliamentary Estates Directorate Archive. You are here St Stephen s Chapel and the House of Commons We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us. The Rt Hon. Sir Winston Churchill, MP Westminster Hall Cloister St Stephen s Hall This exhibition is about an exceptional building in the political life of the nation, one that has stood at the centre of government for over 700 years. During the middle ages, St Stephen s Chapel was the most splendid place of worship in the Palace of Westminster. Remodelled by 1550, the building became the first permanent meeting place for the House of Commons. A major research project is exploring the ways in which St Stephen s shaped and was shaped by its changing functions. This is important because the layout of the medieval chapel was retained, in some respects, for the House of Commons. The nave became the lobby and the choir the debating chamber. In the position of the former choir stalls, there were facing benches. Over time, oppositional politics developed within this historic arrangement. After a fire in 1834, which destroyed the old House of Commons, the same layout was maintained in the new chamber, and survives today. The exhibition is part of the project St Stephen s Chapel, Westminster: Visual and Political Culture, 1292-1941, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and led by the University of York, in partnership with the Houses of Parliament. For further details: www.virtualststephens.org.uk A virtual model of St Stephen s, as it changed through time, will be freely available to the public on the website in early 2016. The plan shows where you are standing, in Westminster Hall, and the original site of St Stephen s Chapel (today occupied by St Stephen s Hall) in gold. 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2015
1 2 1. A partial reconstruction of the medieval chapel, made by the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture at the University of York 2. Oliver the Protector Dissolving the Long Parliament, etching and engraving, 246 x 281 mm, c.1653 (British Museum, mus. no. 1868,0808.3254). The Trustees of the British Museum 3 3. The House of Commons today, looking towards the Speaker s chair (Image 261). Parliamentary Estates Directorate Archive.
The Medieval Chapel At the heart of the medieval Palace of Westminster, St Stephen s was central to royal worship, ceremonial and government. First mentioned in 1184, St Stephen s lay between the great and lesser halls, and was linked to the quarters of the Plantagenet kings of England. Many of the clergy who served in the chapel were both priests and royal servants, involved in administration, diplomacy and politics. In 1292, a new two-storey chapel in the Gothic style was begun by Edward I (1272-1307). The leading masons were Michael and Thomas of Canterbury, perhaps father and son. The names of these and hundreds of other craftsmen are recorded in surviving building accounts, held today in The National Archives. The innovative decorative character of the building, including the panelling of the exterior walls, anticipated features of later English medieval architecture. The chapel was finished by Edward III (1327-1377), who established a new college of canons to serve it in 1348. The interior is recorded to have been exceptionally magnificent, in furnishings, painting and gilding. Over 70,000 foils of gold leaf were purchased for it between June 1351 and September 1352 alone. Edward s family featured prominently in the paintings, recorded by antiquaries in the early 19th century. The cloister of the college, built by the last dean John Chambre, survives. So too does the lower chapel, in an altered state. The upper chapel, now lost, is being reconstructed virtually. R. Smirke, Edward III and his sons, led by St George, reconstruction of paintings on the east wall of the chapel, made originally in the 1350s, tempera and gold leaf, on paper, 830 x 1160 mm, c.1800. By kind permission of the Society of Antiquaries of London. 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2015
4 6 5 4. H. Reinhart (after H. Holbein the Younger), Portrait of John Chambre, Dean of St Stephen s (1514-1548), oil on panel, 64 x 47 cm (Merton College, Oxford, MCPo/61). The Warden and Fellows of Merton College. 5. J. Carter, exterior of the south side of St Stephen s Chapel, pen and ink, on paper, 370 x 546 mm, c.1795 (Society of Antiquaries of London, Red Portfolio 236/E, SSC 5). By kind permission of the Society of Antiquaries of London. 6. The west range of the canons cloister, on the north side of the chapel, first quarter 16th century, photographed c.1900 (PIC/N/FAR 646). Parliamentary Archives. 7 7. J. Dixon, eastern bay on the north side of St Stephen s Chapel, pen and ink, on paper, 945 x 603 mm, c.1800 (Society of Antiquaries of London, Red Portfolio 236/E, SSC 15). By kind permission of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
The House of Commons After the dissolution of the college of St Stephen in 1548, the former chapel became the permanent home of the House of Commons. From the river, the House of Commons was prominent on the Westminster skyline, as shown in a print by Wenceslaus Hollar. The interior was described by John Hooker, the Elizabethan MP for Exeter, as: made like a Theatre, having four rows of seats, one above the other. Just like today, there was a seat reserved for the Speaker and a table for clerks to record debates. The Great Seal of England, 1651, the second seal used by the Commonwealth, showing the House of Commons in session (British Library). British Library Board. All Rights Reserved/Bridgeman Images. The west end (or nave) of the chapel became the lobby, with a committee room above it. The chamber itself was too small to accommodate all MPs, and had poor acoustics, ventilation and lighting. This cramped room was the setting for the dramatic events of the Long Parliament, and confrontation with Charles I (1625-1649). When the Commons needed to redesign the Great Seal after the king s execution, they chose to depict themselves in debate here. There were attempts to improve conditions in the chamber, but in 1678 the king s surveyor Christopher Wren reported the weakness and craziness of the roof. As a result, in 1692, he lowered it, also inserting galleries with new seating, and panelling. There were further changes in 1707, to accommodate Scottish MPs, as a result of the Act of Union. These are shown in a painting by Peter Tillemans. 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2015
W. Hollar, Ciuitatis Westmonasteriensis pars, etching, 141 x 270 mm, dated 1647 (WOA 845). Palace of Westminster Collection P. Tillemans, The House of Commons in Session, oil on canvas, 137.2 x 123.2 cm, c.1710 (WOA 2737). Palace of Westminster Collection
After the 1834 Fire Fire destroyed much of the old Palace of Westminster on 16 October 1834, including the old House of Commons. On this site, the architect of the new palace Charles Barry established St Stephen s Hall. The structure was of similar dimensions, but with different architectural detail. It was to be the principal entrance for visitors. For this hall of patriots, twelve marble statues of statesmen who had spoken in the old House of Commons were completed in 1858. William Pitt the Younger is shown here. St Stephen s Hall survives today and can be visited at the other end of Westminster Hall from where you are standing. The walls of St Stephen s Hall are decorated with paintings depicting Britain growing from a group of tribal states to a world-wide Commonwealth. Two large mosaics by Robert Anning Bell, including King Edward III Commands the Rebuilding of St Stephen s Chapel, were completed in the 1920s. A. W. N. Pugin designed the medieval-style tiles that cover the floor; they have recently been renewed. The coats of arms in the stained glass windows commemorate parliamentary constituencies in the 1850s, whilst newer glass shows the long struggle towards votes-for-all. Suffragettes staged protests in both St Stephen s Hall and the chapel below. The lower chapel of St Mary Undercroft had survived the fire. It was redecorated by Edward Barry, Charles Barry s son. The luxurious Byzantine-style decoration derives from St Mark s Basilica in Venice. The chapel is known as a Royal Peculiar of H.M. the Queen, and is used regularly for services and concerts. 8 9 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2015
10 8. St Stephen s Hall, during decoration, Illustrated London News, 12 February 1853 (WOA 5277). Palace of Westminster Collection 9. P. MacDowell, Pitt [William Pitt the Younger], marble, St Stephen s Hall (WOA S70). Palace of Westminster Collection 10. E. M. Barry, St Mary Undercroft, watercolour, 660 x 902 mm, c.1863 (WOA 1601). Palace of Westminster Collection Detail from H. W. Pickersgill, Portrait of Sir Charles Barry, RA, oil on canvas, 144.8 x 111.8 cm (WOA 2729). Palace of Westminster Collection Detail from J. R. Herbert, Portrait of A. W. N. Pugin, oil on canvas, 90 x 70 cm, 1845 (WOA 2586). Palace of Westminster Collection R. A. Bell, King Edward III Commands the Rebuilding of St Stephen s Chapel, mosaic, St Stephen s Hall, 1926 (WOA 4259). Palace of Westminster Collection
Exhibition design, content and installation Project leaders Alison Baker and Dr Mark Collins (Parliamentary Estates Directorate Palace of Westminster) Exhibition Text Professor Tim Ayers and Dr James Jago University of York Dr Mark Collins - Palace of Westminster Exhibition Design Gary Egleton Exhibition Graphic Design Pat O Leary Environmental Graphics Exhibition Installation MER Services Ltd Graphic Panel Production Danny Bianchet MJ Group 3D Computer Modelling The Centre for Study of Christianity and Culture University of York Special thanks to: The Society of Antiquaries, London The Warden and Fellows of Merton College, Oxford The Trustees of the British Museum, London Curator s Office, House of Commons www.parliament.uk/art Central Tours Office, House of Commons Print Services, Houses of Parliament To follow progress on the virtual reconstruction of St Stephen s that is currently on display in Westminster Hall visit: www.virtualststephens.org.uk Cover illustration shows the old Palace of Westminster in 1647 with the former St Stephen s Chapel, by now converted to the House of Commons Chamber, entitled: Parlament House (sic). Westminster Hall and Westminster Abbey are shown to its right. (Etching by Wenceslaus Hollar, WOA 845)