St Stephen's Chapel
Encyclopedia
St Stephen's Chapel was a chapel in the old Palace of Westminster
. It was largely lost in the fire of 1834, but the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the crypt
survived. St Stephen's porch and hall, of the new Palace of Westminster
, were built in the same location, and are accessed via St Stephen's Entrance (the public entrance).
witnessed the consecration of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris
in 1248, and wished to construct a chapel in his principal palace at Westminster
to rival it. Work continued for many years under Henry's successors, to be completed around 1297. In the resulting two-storey chapel, the Upper Chapel was used by the Royal Family and the Lower Chapel by the Royal Household and courtiers.
to Anne of Bohemia. The bridegroom was aged 15, the bride 16.
The other royal wedding occurred on 15 January 1478, between the younger of the two Princes in the Tower
, Richard, Duke of York, and Anne Mowbray. At 4 years old, she was a year younger than Richard. Anne Mowbray died aged eight. In 1964 her coffin was discovered in a church in Stepney and her remains reinterred in Westminster Abbey.
1483 has been termed "The Year of Three Kings". The body of Richard's father, King Edward IV
, who died at the Palace of Westminster
on 9 April 1483, was conveyed to St Stephen's Chapel on the 10th and lay in state there for eight days.
Following the death of King Henry VIII
the Palace of Westminster ceased to be a royal residence. Henry's son, King Edward VI
instituted the Abolition of Chantries Act, 1547
and St Stephen's Chapel thus became available for use as the debating chamber of the House of Commons
.
Oliver Cromwell
had the crypt whitewashed and used it to stable his horses.
In 1911, on the night before the 1911 census, Emily Davison
spent the night in the broom cupboard in the back of the crypt in order to be able to say her address was the House of Commons, despite not being allowed to stand for Parliament or indeed vote. In 2011 a plaque
was placed in the cupboard to commemorate this.
's chair was placed on the altar steps - arguably the reason that MPs bow to the Speaker, as they would formerly have done to the altar. Where the lectern had been, the Table of the House was installed. MPs sat facing one-another in the Medieval choir stalls, creating the adversarial seating plan in the Commons chamber that persists to this day. The old choir screen with its two side-by-side entrances was also retained and formed the basis of the modern voting system for MPs with "aye" voters passing through the right-hand door and "no" voters passing through the left.
In order to suit the needs of the House of Commons, various changes to the chapel's original gothic
form were made by architects such as Sir Christopher Wren
and James Wyatt
between 1547 and 1834. The building was significantly reduced in height by the removal of the clerestory
with other alterations also being made to the exterior. On the inside the walls were reduced in thickness to accommodate extra seating and the grand interior decorations were concealed behind wainscoting and oak panelling. A lower false ceiling was installed in the chamber to help improve its acoustics, the quality of which were vital in an age without artificial amplification
. More seating was added for the extra MPs created by the Acts of Union with Scotland (1707) and Ireland (1800), including an upper-level gallery. By the 19th Century the chapel's interior had a very bland and modest look in contrast to its former Medieval magnificence.
totally destroyed the main body of the chapel with the crypt below and the adjoining cloisters barely surviving. Amongst the few furnishings rescued from the flames was the Table of the House which is now kept in the Speaker's apartments at the palace. The historical importance of the chapel was realised in the design of the new palace in the form of St Stephen's Hall, the lavishly-decorated main public entrance hall built on the same floor plan as the old chapel with the position of the Speaker's chair marked out on the floor.
The crypt below St Stephen's Hall, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft which had fallen into disuse some time before the fire, was restored and returned to its former use as a place of worship. It is still used for this purpose today. In particular children of Peer
s, who would usually possess the title Honourable (Hon), have the exclusive privilege of being able to use it as a wedding venue. In addition, MPs and Peers are legally able to use the chapel as a christening
venue.
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. It was largely lost in the fire of 1834, but the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
survived. St Stephen's porch and hall, of the new Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
, were built in the same location, and are accessed via St Stephen's Entrance (the public entrance).
History
As a Royal Chapel
According to Cooke (1987), King Henry IIIHenry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
witnessed the consecration of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1248, and wished to construct a chapel in his principal palace at Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
to rival it. Work continued for many years under Henry's successors, to be completed around 1297. In the resulting two-storey chapel, the Upper Chapel was used by the Royal Family and the Lower Chapel by the Royal Household and courtiers.
Historical events
On 20 January 1382, St Stephen's Chapel was used for the wedding of King Richard IIRichard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
to Anne of Bohemia. The bridegroom was aged 15, the bride 16.
The other royal wedding occurred on 15 January 1478, between the younger of the two Princes in the Tower
Princes in the Tower
The Princes in the Tower is a term which refers to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville alive at the time of their father's death...
, Richard, Duke of York, and Anne Mowbray. At 4 years old, she was a year younger than Richard. Anne Mowbray died aged eight. In 1964 her coffin was discovered in a church in Stepney and her remains reinterred in Westminster Abbey.
1483 has been termed "The Year of Three Kings". The body of Richard's father, King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, who died at the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
on 9 April 1483, was conveyed to St Stephen's Chapel on the 10th and lay in state there for eight days.
Following the death of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
the Palace of Westminster ceased to be a royal residence. Henry's son, King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
instituted the Abolition of Chantries Act, 1547
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
and St Stephen's Chapel thus became available for use as the debating chamber of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
had the crypt whitewashed and used it to stable his horses.
In 1911, on the night before the 1911 census, Emily Davison
Emily Davison
Emily Wilding Davison was a militant women's suffrage activist who, on 4 June 1913, after a series of actions that were either self-destructive or violent, stepped in front of a horse running in the Epsom Derby, sustaining injuries that resulted in her death four days later.-Biography:Davison was...
spent the night in the broom cupboard in the back of the crypt in order to be able to say her address was the House of Commons, despite not being allowed to stand for Parliament or indeed vote. In 2011 a plaque
Plaque
Plaque or placque may refer to:* Commemorative plaque, a flat ornamental plate or tablet fixed to a wall, used to mark a significant event, person, etc.* Memorial Plaque, issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I...
was placed in the cupboard to commemorate this.
As the House of Commons Chamber
The former Chapel's layout and functionality influenced the positioning of furniture and MPs in the Commons. SpeakerSpeaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
's chair was placed on the altar steps - arguably the reason that MPs bow to the Speaker, as they would formerly have done to the altar. Where the lectern had been, the Table of the House was installed. MPs sat facing one-another in the Medieval choir stalls, creating the adversarial seating plan in the Commons chamber that persists to this day. The old choir screen with its two side-by-side entrances was also retained and formed the basis of the modern voting system for MPs with "aye" voters passing through the right-hand door and "no" voters passing through the left.
In order to suit the needs of the House of Commons, various changes to the chapel's original gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
form were made by architects such as Sir Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
and James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
between 1547 and 1834. The building was significantly reduced in height by the removal of the clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
with other alterations also being made to the exterior. On the inside the walls were reduced in thickness to accommodate extra seating and the grand interior decorations were concealed behind wainscoting and oak panelling. A lower false ceiling was installed in the chamber to help improve its acoustics, the quality of which were vital in an age without artificial amplification
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
. More seating was added for the extra MPs created by the Acts of Union with Scotland (1707) and Ireland (1800), including an upper-level gallery. By the 19th Century the chapel's interior had a very bland and modest look in contrast to its former Medieval magnificence.
Fire and reconstruction
The fire of 1834Burning of Parliament
Burning of Parliament is the popular name for the fire which destroyed the Palace of Westminster, the home of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, on 16 October 1834...
totally destroyed the main body of the chapel with the crypt below and the adjoining cloisters barely surviving. Amongst the few furnishings rescued from the flames was the Table of the House which is now kept in the Speaker's apartments at the palace. The historical importance of the chapel was realised in the design of the new palace in the form of St Stephen's Hall, the lavishly-decorated main public entrance hall built on the same floor plan as the old chapel with the position of the Speaker's chair marked out on the floor.
The crypt below St Stephen's Hall, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft which had fallen into disuse some time before the fire, was restored and returned to its former use as a place of worship. It is still used for this purpose today. In particular children of Peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
s, who would usually possess the title Honourable (Hon), have the exclusive privilege of being able to use it as a wedding venue. In addition, MPs and Peers are legally able to use the chapel as a christening
Infant baptism
Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or...
venue.
External links
- explore-parliament.net - shows various views of the chapel, notably this image.
