Westminster Hal

Westminster Hall, the oldest existing part of the Palace of Westminster, was erected in 1097,^[72] at which point it was the largest hall in Europe, though it was subsequently overtaken over a hundred years later by the Palais de la Cité in Paris (1301–06) and a hall in Padua of similar date.^[73] The roof was probably originally supported by pillars, giving three aisles, but during the reign of King Richard II, this was replaced by a hammerbeam roof by the royal carpenter Hugh Herland, "the greatest creation of medieval timber architecture", which allowed the original three aisles to be replaced with a single huge open space, with a dais at the end. Richard's architect Henry Yevele left the original dimensions, refacing the walls, with fifteen life-size statues of kings placed in niches.^[74] The rebuilding had been begun by Henry III in 1245, but had by Richard's time been dormant for over a century.

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