In Tudor times, Westminster was a sprawling cluster of buildings that stretched over 23 acres from Holborn in the east – the city’s legal quarter – to open fields beyond the abbey in the west.
Within the complex of Westminster was the Royal Palace of White Hall. This belonged to Cardinal Wolsey until 1529 during which time it was known as York Place because it was the London residence of the archbishops of York.
Wolsey surrendered the property to King Henry VIII in October 1529 in an attempt to appease the King after he had failed him in the matter of his divorce from Katherine of Aragon. That Christmas, the King set about redesigning York Place with Anne Boleyn. Together they transformed it into a magnificent renaissance palace that became known as the Palace of White Hall, adding a bowling alley, cockpit, tennis courts, tiltyard, great orchard, and gardens.
By the time it was finished, the Palace of Whitehall was larger than the Palace of Versailles in France. Its interior was opulent. A painting of Henry’s coronation graced the wall of the long gallery, and tapestries woven in jewel-coloured silks shot through with gold and silver threads adorned the great chamber, which would have shone. The ceiling was probably painted blue, like Hampton Court’s Great Hall, and the floor would have glistened with green and white tiles.
The old Palace of Westminster was situated just half a mile upstream from the Royal Palace of Whitehall, located on Thorney Island, where the River Tyburn enters the Thames. Three bridges connected Thorney Island to the mainland. The Old Palace of Westminster was the seat of government. The House of Lords sat in the Queen’s Chamber and the Commons in the abbey’s Chapter House.
On 1st June 1533, Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, made the journey by royal barge from Whitehall to Westminster for her coronation. Trumpets, drummers, and musicians would have marked her coming, and she would have been accompanied by a flotilla of small vessels hung with gold foil, and bells that tinkled. Anne wore a purple velvet gown trimmed with ermine fur and a cloth-of-gold kirtle. The boats would have glistened in the June sunlight as they sailed up the Thames. Hair flowing about her shoulders, Anne would have looked celestial as she stepped onto the King’s Steps at Westminster.
Anne Boleyn’s coronation feast was held in Westminster Hall. Three years later, it was the setting for the trial of four of the five men accused of adultery with Anne.
Over the centuries, Westminster Hall has borne witness to some of the most momentous trials in English history. The trials of William Wallace, King Charles I, and Guy Fawkes were all held here.
In 1605, Westminster was a hive of trade. Large sailed merchant ships and speedy rowing boats were continually offloading supplies of wine, food, and coal. This made it easy for Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators to smuggle 36 barrels of gunpowder into the vaults beneath Parliament.
Had the plotters succeeded, the explosion would likely have set fire to all the surrounding buildings. It’s hard to say, given the difficulty extinguishing the Great Fire of London, whether this would have caused London to burn 61 years earlier. Nevertheless, most of the Old Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 1834. All that survived was Westminster Hall, the Jewel House, Undercroft Chapel, the Cloisters, Chapter House, and Abbey.
Today Westminster Abbey and the British Houses of Parliament are among the most recognisable buildings in the world and their history spans more than 900 years.
The Abbey is well worth a visit. The coronation seat of Edward I is 700 years old and would have been used by Anne Boleyn in her coronation. There are a number of interesting Tudor artefacts to see including the Essex Ring.
Walk in Anne Boleyn’s footsteps down the central nave to the high altar, as she would have done for her coronation. All of England’s elite would have been crammed into the Abbey to watch her coronation. Imagine, the powerful sound of the choir. The altar in front of you dressed in gold. Take a moment and look up at the vaulted ceiling that towers 100ft above your head and slip back in time.