Video Transcript

Westminster Hall's roof

Voiceover: Westminster Hall was originally built by William Rufus between 1097 and 1099. Three hundred years later, the hall was remodelled by King Richard II, who raised and reinforced the walls ready for the construction of the spectacular heavy oak roof still in place today.

This roof, built according to the hammer beam principle, was a dramatic demonstration of Richard's power in the 1390s. 650 tonnes of English oak was brought by river from Surrey. It was carved to form posts, braces, rafters, trusses and these lovely angels. Richard II also added six statues of kings, which were placed in niches on the south wall. Richard's emblems, the chained white hart and the helm, were placed in the corners beneath. But Richard II did not have long as king under his new roof. The barons lost confidence in him, and forced him to step down almost as soon as it had been completed.

There is an interesting mystery surrounding the construction of the original 11th Century roof. Many people think it would have been supported by twenty-four posts in two rows of twelve, all the way down the hall, as has been modelled in this reconstruction. However, a lack of evidence from archaeological investigations under the present floor has lead some to think that these posts may never have been there, and that the early roof was actually able to support itself, without wooden posts.
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