Westminster Hall

The fabric of the hall is particularly notable for its hammerbeam roof, a form typical of English Gothic architecture which uses horizontal trusses to span large distances.

[5] The renovations include eighty-three unique depictions of Richard's favourite heraldic badge, a resting chained white hart.

[14][15] Around 250,000 mourners filed past the coffin when Queen Elizabeth II lay in state, which resulted in the delamination of the Yorkstone floor.

Following reforms in 1999, the House of Commons now uses the Grand Committee Room next to Westminster Hall as an additional debating chamber.

In contrast with the two main Chambers, in which the government and opposition benches directly face each other, the seating in the Grand Committee Room is laid out in a U-shape, a pattern meant to reflect the non-partisan nature of the debates there.

[2] It was built by the royal carpenter, Hugh Herland, and is considered "the greatest creation of medieval timber architecture" creating a single huge open space, with a dais at the end.

Richard's master builder Henry Yevele retained the original dimensions, refacing the walls, with fifteen life-size statues of kings placed in niches.

Included in Richard's renovations are repetitions of his favourite heraldic badge – a white hart, chained, and in an attitude of rest – which is repeated eighty-three times, without any of them being an exact copy of another.

It is believed that, until the 13th or 14th century, carpenters were unable to create a roof significantly wider than the length of the timber available, yet no evidence of supporting columns has been found.