Westminster Hall was built in 1097 by William II, son of William the Conqueror, and at the time it was the largest hall in all of England. The walls around you are six feet thick, and the building has stood through fires, wars, and the gradual rise of an entire democratic system.
The roof above you is the reason historians lose their composure. In 1393, King Richard II hired master carpenter Hugh Herland to replace the original roof with a breathtaking hammerbeam structure spanning 68 feet, with not a single supporting pillar. It remains the largest medieval timber roof in Northern Europe. Carved into the oak beams are 26 angels, each holding a shield, and 83 white hart badges, the white stag that was Richard's personal emblem, with no two badges exactly alike.
The floor beneath your feet has seen some of history's most dramatic moments. In 1265, representatives from cities and boroughs across England gathered here for the first time, planting the seeds of Parliament. The trials of William Wallace, Thomas More, Guy Fawkes, and King Charles I all took place in this room. For over 600 years, every newly crowned English monarch celebrated their coronation with a banquet here.
For a building that helped invent democracy, it has a surprisingly good track record of hosting extremely undemocratic executions.
Sources. Story: en.wikipedia.org Photos: Samuel Ireland, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
