Bloomsbury presents The Lost Chapel of Westminster: How a Royal Chapel Became the House of Commons by John Cooper, read by Jeremy Clyde.

The fascinating history of St Stephen’s Chapel in the Palace of Westminster, a building at the heart of British life for over 700 years.

Begun in 1292, the royal chapel of St Stephen was the crowning glory of the old palace of Westminster – a place of worship for kings and a showcase of the finest architecture, ritual and music the Plantagenets could muster. But in 1548, as the Protestant Reformation reached its height, St Stephen’s was given a new purpose as the House of Commons. Burned out in the great palace fire of 1834, the Commons chamber was then recreated on a remarkably similar medieval design, perpetuating a way of doing politics that is recognisable to this day.