The Lost Chapel of Westminster

Listen to a sample

What to expect

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.

St Stephen's has been part of many lives over the centuries, from the medieval masons who worked through the Black Death to complete the chapel, to the generations of MPs who locked horns in the Commons chamber. Threading together religion, politics, art, architecture and narrative history, John Cooper tells the story of the lost chapel, an iconic building that reflects the national transition from medieval divine-right monarchy to modern parliamentary democracy.

Critics Review

John Cooper’s engrossing and delightful study recovers for us an extraordinary building hidden in plain sight within the footprint of the Houses of Parliament: medieval England’s answer to Paris’s spectacular Sainte Chapelle, transformed by the Tudors into the arena in which our modern Parliamentary state gradually took shape. Cooper brings to life its lost splendours, and guides us through what remains from its fiery destruction, with scholarship and wit.

Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, University of Oxford

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.