What was the Gunpowder Plot? The Traditional Story Tested by Original EvidenceGerard, John
History
What was the Gunpowder Plot? The Traditional Story Tested by Original Evidence
Gerard, John
Gunpowder Plot, 1605
I. Garden of the Old Palace (afterwards called "Cotton Garden").
J. House built on the site of the Chapel of "Our Lady of the Pew"
(called later "Cotton House").
K K K. Houses built upon ruins of the walls of the Old Palace.
L. Vault under the Painted Chamber.
M. Yard or Court into which a doorway opened from Guy Faukes' Cellar.
N. Passage leading from the same Yard or Court into Parliament Place.
O. Parliament Place.
P. Parliament Stairs (formerly called "The Queen's Bridge").
Q Q. The River Thames.
R. Old Palace Yard.
S. Westminster Abbey.
T. St. Margaret's Church.
U V W. Buildings of the Old Palace, called "Heaven" (or "Paradise"),
"Hell," and "Purgatory."
X. New Palace Yard.
Y. Bell Tower of St. Stephen's.
Z. The Speaker's Garden.]
The old House of Lords[129] was a chamber occupying the first floor of
a building which stood about fifty yards from the left bank of the
Thames, to which it was parallel, the stream at this point running
almost due north. Beneath the Peers' Chamber, on the ground floor, was a
large room, which plays an important part in our history. This had
originally served as the palace kitchen,[130] and though commonly
described as a "cellar" or a "vault" was in reality neither, for it
stood on the level of the ground outside, and had a flat ceiling, formed
by the beams which supported the flooring of the Lords' apartment
above.[131] It ran beneath the said Peers' Chamber from end to end, and
measured 77 feet in length, by 24 feet 4 inches in width.
At either end, the building abutted upon another running transversely to
it; that on the north being the "Painted Chamber," probably erected by
Edward the Confessor, and that on the south the "Prince's Chamber,"
assigned by its architectural features to the reign of Henry III. The
former served as a place of conference for Lords and Commons,[132] the
latter as the robing-room of the Lords. The royal throne stood at the
south end of the House, near the Prince's Chamber.
[Illustration: GROUND PLAN OF THE SCENE OF ACTION.]
Originally the Parliament Chamber and the "cellar" beneath it were
lighted by large windows on both sides; subsequently, houses raised
against it blocked these up, and the Lords were supplied with light by
dormers constructed in the roof. The walls of their apartment were then
hung with tapestry, representing the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Although precise information on the point is not easy to obtain, it
would appear that this did not occur till a period later than that with
which we are concerned.[133]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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