Meeting places of Parliament at Westminster

The House of Commons first met in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey in 1352, moving from there in 1397 to the Refectory, or dining hall, of Westminster Abbey. The Painted Chamber was part of the medieval Palace of Westminster. It was a meeting place for some early English Parliaments in the later 13th century. The House of Lords met in the nearby Queen’s Chamber, and later in the White Chamber. After the Reformation in the 1530s, Edward VI gave the Commons the use of St Stephen’s Chapel in the Palace of Westminster, where they stayed until it burned down in 1834. 

The downloadable Excel file lists Westminster meeting places of the House of Commons and the House of Lords from the 13th century. Source details are available in the Excel file. 

Further information

Details of the buildings of the Palace of Westminster can be found in the following books: 

• Shenton, Caroline, The Day Parliament Burned Down, 2012
• Field, John, Story of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster, 2011
• Stow, Barry, Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including St Margaret’s Church, 2004

Information on meeting places of the medieval Parliament can be found on the Living Heritage pages on Parliament’s website.

Parliament: Facts and figures

The Parliament: Facts and figures series covers topics including elections, government, legislation, Members and parliamentary business. 

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