Editing Palace of Westminster (section)

=== Royal Apartments ===

==== Norman Porch ====
The Sovereign's Entrance is beneath the Victoria Tower. It was designed for the use of the monarch, and is used by them during the [[State Opening of Parliament]].<ref name="Lords Route tour">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/lords-route/ |title=Lords Route virtual tour |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010 |archive-date=16 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816131858/http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/lords-route/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Sovereign's Entrance is also the formal entrance used by visiting dignitaries,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/3406081239/ |title=President of France arrives at Parliament |author=UK Parliament |date=2 April 2009 |work=[[Flickr]] |access-date=29 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/3406096131/ |title=President of Mexico and the Mexican First Lady arrive at Parliament |author=UK Parliament |date=2 April 2009 |work=[[Flickr]] |access-date=29 January 2010}}</ref> as well as the starting point of public tours of the palace.<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], inside of front cover.</ref>

From the entrance, a staircase leads up to the principal floor in a broad, unbroken flight of 26 steps made of grey granite.<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 30; [[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], p. 8.</ref> At the top is the Norman Porch, a square landing with a central [[clustered column]] and a ceiling of four [[groin vault]]s with [[Lierne (vault)|lierne ribs]] and [[Boss (architecture)|carved bosses]]. The porch was named for its proposed decorative scheme, which was never completed but would have consisted of statues of the Norman kings and frescoes depicting [[Norman England|Norman history]].<ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 25.</ref> As completed, the porch contains stained glass windows depicting [[Edward the Confessor]] and a young Queen Victoria,<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 31.</ref> a copy of a 1900 painting of Victoria by [[Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant]],<ref>[[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 190.</ref> and busts of prime ministers who have sat in the House of Lords on the plinths intended for the statues. A double door opposite the stairs leads to the Royal Gallery, and another to the right opens to the Robing Room.<ref name="Lords Route tour" />

==== Robing Room ====
[[File:Royal Robing Room, Palace of Westminster.jpg|thumb|alt=See adjacent text.|The Sovereign prepares for the State Opening of Parliament in the Robing Room. Behind is the Chair of State.]]
[[File:House of Lords (Robing Room) 1897.jpg|thumb|The robing room in 1897]]

The Robing Room lies at the southern end of the palace's north-south axis, and occupies the centre of the south front, overlooking [[Victoria Tower Gardens]].<ref name="Wilson, pp. 8-9">[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], pp. 8–9.</ref> It is where the Sovereign prepares for the State Opening of Parliament by changing into their official robes and putting on the [[Imperial State Crown]].<ref name="Robing Room">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/robing-room/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: The Robing Room |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> The focus of the room is the chair of state, which sits on a dais of three steps under a canopy adorned with the arms and floral emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland. A panel of purple velvet forms the backdrop to the chair, embroidered by the [[Royal School of Needlework]] with the royal arms, surrounded by stars and ''VR'' monograms.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> Edward Barry designed both the chair—the cushion and back of which are also embroidered—and the ornate marble fireplace across the room, which features gilded statuettes of [[Saint George]] and [[Saint Michael]].<ref name="Wilson, pp. 8-9" />

The decorative theme of the room is the legend of [[King Arthur]], considered by many Victorians the source of their nationhood.<ref name="Field, p. 192">[[#Field|Field (2002)]], p. 192.</ref> Five frescoes painted by [[William Dyce]] between 1848 and 1864 cover the walls, depicting allegorical scenes from the legend. Each scene represents a chivalric virtue; the largest, between the two doors, is titled ''Admission of Sir Tristram to the Round Table'' and illustrates the virtue of Hospitality.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> Seven were originally commissioned but the remaining two paintings were not carried out due to the artist's death, and on the wallpapered panels flanking the Chair of State hang oil portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by [[Franz Xaver Winterhalter]].<ref name="Wilson, pp. 8-9" />{{#tag:ref|Depicted (clockwise) are the virtues of Courtesy, Religion, Generosity, Hospitality and Mercy. The two missing frescoes were meant to depict Fidelity and Courage.<ref name="Guide, p. 26">[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 26.</ref> Queen Victoria's portrait can be seen in the Parliamentary website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/worksofart/artwork/unknown/queen-victoria--1819-1901-/3154 |title=Queen Victoria (1819–1901) |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>|group=note}} Other decorations in the room are also inspired by the Arthurian legend, namely a series of 18 bas-reliefs beneath the paintings, carved in oak by [[Henry Hugh Armstead]],<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> and the frieze running below the ceiling, which displays the attributed coats of arms of the [[Knights of the Round Table]].<ref name="Guide, p. 26" /> The ceiling itself is decorated with heraldic badges, as is the border of the wooden floor<ref name="Guide, p. 28" />—which, as can be seen in the adjacent image, is left exposed by the carpeting.

The Robing Room was briefly used as the House of Lords' meeting chamber while the House of Lords Chamber was occupied by the House of Commons, whose chamber had been destroyed by [[the Blitz]] in 1941.

==== Royal Gallery ====
[[File:Royal Gallery, Palace of Westminster.jpg|thumb|left|Following the rapid decay of Maclise's first two frescoes, the rest of the Royal Gallery's walls were left unpainted.]]
Immediately north of the Robing Room is the Royal Gallery. At {{Convert|33.5|by|13.7|m|ft}}, it is one of the largest rooms in the palace.<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> Its main purpose is to serve as the stage of the [[State Procession at the UK Opening of Parliament|royal procession]] at State Openings of Parliament, which the audience watch from temporary tiered seating on both sides of the route.<ref>[[#Quinault|Quinault (1992)]], pp. 84–85.</ref> It has also been used on occasion by visiting statesmen from abroad when [[List of people who have addressed both Houses of the United Kingdom Parliament|addressing both Houses of Parliament]], as well as for receptions in honour of foreign dignitaries,<ref name="Royal Gallery">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/royal-gallery/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: The Royal Gallery |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> and more regularly for the Lord Chancellor's Breakfast;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/occasions/lcbreakfast/ |title=Lord Chancellor's breakfast |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> in the past it was the theatre of several trials of peers by the House of Lords.<ref name="Royal Gallery" /><ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 29.</ref> Documents from the Parliamentary Archives are on display in the Royal Gallery (including a facsimile of [[Charles I of England|Charles&nbsp;I]]'s death warrant), and the tables and seating offer a workspace for members of the Lords that is conveniently close to their debating chamber.<ref name="Lords Route tour" />
[[File:The Royal Gallery House of Lords, (interior, London, England) LCCN2002699877.tif|thumb|Historical image of the Royal Gallery]]
The decorative scheme of the Royal Gallery was meant to display important moments in British military history, and the walls are decorated by two large paintings by [[Daniel Maclise]], each measuring {{Convert|13.7|by|3.7|m|ft}}: ''[[The Death of Nelson (Maclise painting)|The Death of Nelson]]'' (depicting [[Lord Nelson]]'s demise at the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] in 1805) and ''[[The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo]]'' (showing the [[Duke of Wellington]] meeting [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher]] at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] in 1815).<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> The murals deteriorated rapidly after their completion due to a range of factors, most importantly atmospheric pollution, and today they are almost monochrome, although a finished study of ''The Death of Nelson'' in better condition hangs in the [[Walker Art Gallery]], [[Liverpool]].<ref name="Field, p. 192" /> The rest of the planned frescos were cancelled, and the walls are filled with portraits of kings and queens from [[George I of Great Britain|George&nbsp;I]] onwards.<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], pp. 8, 10–11.</ref> Another decorative element with military undertones are the eight statues of gilded [[Caen stone]] that flank the three doorways and the bay window of the Gallery, sculpted by [[John Birnie Philip]]. Each depicts a monarch during whose reign a key battle or war took place.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> They are: [[Alfred the Great]] and [[William the Conqueror]]; [[Richard I]] and [[Edward III]]; [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] and [[Elizabeth I]]; [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]]. The panelled ceiling, {{Convert|13.7|m|ft}} above the floor,<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> features [[Tudor rose]]s and lions, and the stained-glass windows show the coats of arms of the Kings of England and Scotland.<ref name="Royal Gallery" />

==== Prince's Chamber ====
[[File:Sir Benjamin Stone's pictures; records of national life and history reproduced from the collection of photographs made by Sir Benjamin Stone, M.P (1906) (14755803986).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|''Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Supported by Justice and Clemency'', by [[John Gibson (sculptor)|John Gibson]], Prince's Chamber]]
The Prince's Chamber is a small [[wikt:anteroom|anteroom]] between the Royal Gallery and the Lords Chamber, named after the room adjoining the Parliament Chamber in the Old Palace of Westminster. Thanks to its location, it is a place where members of the Lords meet to discuss business of the House. Several doors lead out of the room, to the [[Division of the assembly|division]] lobbies of the House of Lords and to a number of important offices.<ref name="Lords Route tour" />

The theme of the Prince's Chamber is Tudor history, and 28 oil portraits painted on panels around the room depict members of the [[Tudor dynasty]]. They are the work of [[Richard Burchett]] and his pupils, and their creation entailed extensive research, which contributed to the founding of the [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]] in 1856. 12 bronze bas-reliefs are set into the wall below the portraits, executed by [[William Theed]] in 1855–1857.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> Scenes included are ''The [[Field of the Cloth of Gold]]'', ''The Escape of [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]'' and ''[[Walter Raleigh|Raleigh]] Spreading His Cloak As a Carpet for the Queen''.<ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], pp. 32–33.</ref> Above the portraits, at window level, are copies of six of the ten [[Armada tapestries]], which hung in the chamber of the House of Lords until their destruction in the 1834 fire and depicted the defeat of the [[Spanish Armada]] in 1588. The project was put on hold in 1861 (by which time only one painting had been completed), and was not revived until 2007; {{As of|2010|8|lc=on}}, all six paintings are now in their intended places.

The room also contains a statue of Queen Victoria, seated on a throne (itself placed on a pedestal) and holding a sceptre and a laurel crown, which show that she both governs and rules.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> This figure is flanked by allegorical statues of Justice and Clemency, the former with a bare sword and an inflexible expression and the latter showing sympathy and offering an olive branch.<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 38; [[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 262.</ref> The sculptural ensemble, made of white marble and carved by [[John Gibson (sculptor)|John Gibson]] in 1855, reaches {{Convert|2.44|m|ft|0}} in height; its size has long been considered out of proportion with the fittings of the Prince's Chamber, and the flanking statues ended up in storage between 1955 and 1976. However, the size and location of the group, in the archway opposite the doors to the Royal Gallery (which are removed before State Openings of Parliament to facilitate the royal procession), indicate that it was meant to be seen from a distance, and to symbolically remind the monarch of their royal duties as they would walk down the Royal Gallery on their way to deliver their speech.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /><ref>[[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 253.</ref>