Guidebook: Chapter House & Pyx Chamber
In 1246 King Henry III embarked on an ambitious reconstruction of Westminster Abbey. His magnificent new Chapter House was ranked amongst the greatest achievements of Gothic architecture. Used by the monks for their formal daily meeting, the Chapter House also became the assembly place for the king's 'Great Court', predecessor of the English Parliament. From 1540 the Chapter House was taken over by the government to house official documents, resulting in many changes to the building fabric.