St Stephen's Hall

St Stephen's Hall stands on the site of the royal Chapel of St Stephen's, where the House of Commons sat until the Chapel was destroyed by the fire of 1834.

The floor is covered with patterned tiles depicting lions and dates from 1846-1852.  Look closely at the tiles and you will see that the lions on the tiles down the middle of the room have their eyes closed whilst those to the side have their eyes open.  The story goes that this was so that Victorian ladies, with their wide skirts, did not suffer the indignity of the lions looking up their skirt as they walked down the centre!

The paintings on the walls depict various important events in British history.

Photo:  Tony Spinks.