All of our lectures are live streamed and are open to anyone to join us online, Fellows and Non-Fellows.
To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.
To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.
ORDINARY MEETING OF FELLOWS LECTURE
St Mary Undercroft, Palace of Westminster, 1790-1870: Misused, Rescued, and ‘Bedizened in Gold’ by Dr Elizabeth Hallam Smith FSA.
In 1790 a leading Antiquary issued a clarion call to “rescue from destruction the most beautiful specimen of Gothic architecture which this country has to boast of”. Known today as the chapel of St Mary Undercroft, Westminster, this ‘crypt’ of the former St Stephen’s Chapel was divided between a boiler room and the ‘grotto’ – soon to become a grandiose dining room for the Commons Speaker. Although it survived the 1834 fire and the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster, its fragile fabric and surviving frescoes were further degraded as it housed Committee Rooms, a builder’s store and even a gasometer. In 1852 there was a moment for antiquarian investigation before Charles Barry made major structural repairs to it. Finally, from 1860 to 1870 it was controversially adorned and “bedizened in gold” by Edward Barry, submerging its fabric beneath glittering neo-Byzantine marbles and frescoes. Do any of its medieval features survive?
Dr Elizabeth Hallam Smith FSA is a Historical Research Consultant, Architecture and Heritage, at the House of Commons, specialising in the history of the Palace of Westminster. Formerly Director of Information Services and Librarian at the House of Lords, she is a current Vice President of the Society of Antiquaries and an editor of and contributor to the recent major study: St Stephen’s Chapel and the Palace of Westminster (Boydell, 2024).
This event will be both in person at Burlington House and online. Please select the appropriate ticket below.
Attendance at Burlington House:
Open to anyone to attend.
The event will begin at 5pm, with tea/coffee from 4.30pm.
Pre-registration is essential for non-Fellows but we encourage Fellows to register as well.
Fellows must ensure they sign the guest book.
Sherry is served in the Foyer following the lecture.
Attendance online:
The event will be live-streamed on Zoom (if you register) and recorded on our YouTube channel.
The event will begin at 5pm.
You will receive an email reminder with the link to join the day of the lecture.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].
