Westminster Hall
Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.
1097 Construction of the Hall started under William II, and was completed two years later. It was by far the largest hall in England, and probably in Europe at that time. It measured 73 by 20 metres (240 by 67 feet), with a floor area covering 1,547 square metres (about 17,000 square feet).
The great mystery about the Hall is the form of its original roof. Not until the 13th or 14th century could carpenters create roofs significantly wider than the length of the available timber, and so it was assumed that a single or double row of columns was needed to support it but no clear evidence has been found of such supports
1394-1399 The timber hammerbeam roof was constructed when the hall was remodelled for Richard II. The walls were already leaning outwards and were supported by flying buttresses placed at alternate trusses.
On several occasions in later centuries the roof was surveyed to see what action could be taken to address its decay.
1913 Frank Baines for the Office of Works examined the timbers of the roof; he found the wood decayed by beetle larvae and the structure significantly weakened.
1914 Baines issued a report on the decayed condition of the roof. As a result a renovation project was instituted in the early 1920s.
The roof is the largest surviving medieval hammerbeam structure in northern Europe.
See Also
Sources of Information
- Biography of Sir Frank Baines, ODNB
- [1] Westminster Hall