15th - 19th centuries
1441
Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, was tried in St Stephen's Chapel for ‘treasonable necromancy.'
1443
A new fountain, or great conduit, was built in New Palace Yard
1513
A fire in the private part of the palace meant that Henry VIII stopped using the palace as a residence.
c. 1514-27
The current St Stephen's cloisters were built to replace the Richard II cloister.
1529-1535
Henry VIII acquired Whitehall Palace from Cardinal Wolsey and built his own new Westminster lodgings there. Westminster Palace remains in use by the law courts and for ceremonies such as the acclamation of new monarchs, coronations and banquets until the 1800s.
1548
St Stephen's College was dissolved and its buildings stood empty.
By 1550
Edward VI handed over St Stephen's Chapel to the Commons for their use.
1605
Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the old House of Lords. He was subsequently executed in Old Palace Yard
1649
Charles I was condemned to death in Westminster Hall following his defeat by Oliver Cromwell in the Civil War.
1692
Christopher Wren installed paneling and new seats to make St Stephen's into a classical debating chamber.
1707 Wren made alterations to the Commons' Chamber to accommodate the new Scottish MPs.
1801
James Wyatt ripped out more medieval fittings and destroyed ancient wall paintings in the Commons' Chamber to accommodate the new Irish Members.
1834
Most of the medieval Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October. Only Westminster Hall, the Undercroft Chapel, the Cloisters and Chapter House of St Stephen's and the Jewel Tower survived
Last updated April 2017