Card of the Day: Westminster Hall

Earlier this week, we explored the Palace of Westminster—the seat of British government—and took a quick look at Westminster Hall which is one of the oldest original parts of the palace. Westminster Hall has long played an important part in the coronation procession. This fact is recorded in the 1935 Silver Jubilee series of cards by Churchman’s Cigarette Company.
Westminster Hall was erected in 1096-7 and was, at the time, the largest such hall in Europe. The Hall was originally intended to be used for judicial purposes, and consequently housed three of the most important courts in Britain: the Court of King's Bench, the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of Chancery. By 1875, these three courts were combined into one: the High Court of Justice. This court retained Westminster Hall as its seat until 1882 when it moved to the Royal Courts of Justice.

The historic structure was also the scene of many important trials such as the impeachment trials and the state trials of King Charles I at the conclusion of the English Civil War, Sir William Wallace, Sir Thomas More, Cardinal John Fisher, Guy Fawkes, the Earl of Strafford, the rebel Scottish Lords of the 1715 and 1745 uprisings, and Warren Hastings.

The Coronation Banquet of King George IV, 1821
The Royal Collection

However, the most celebrated purpose of Westminster Hall has been its role in ceremonial functions. From the Twelfth Century, this was the home of the coronation banquets in honor of new Sovereigns. This tradition lasted through the coronation banquet of King George IV in 1821. William IV, George IV’s brother and successor, stopped this practice as part of his effort to at least appear to be more frugal with the Empire’s money.

Westminster Hall has been used for less jubilant, but equally important services. It has been the backdrop for lyings-in-state during state and ceremonial funerals. The honor of lying-in-state at Westminster Hall is usually reserved for the Monarch and/or their consorts. However, non-Royal persons have been laid out in the Hall. These exceptions are: Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (1914) and Sir Winston Churchill (1965). The last time the Hall was used for this purpose was the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002.