Hidden Tudor window brought to light by Parliament workmen

A TUDOR window and ornate stone panel in a parliamentary cloister has been uncovered by workmen fixing a lamp.

The window, in St Stephen’s Cloister in the Palace of Westminster, was discovered last year and has been painstakingly restored and unveiled.

The feature and surrounding stonework were found when workmen erected scaffolding to reach a light.

It was installed by Henry VIII in 1520 along with the cloister below, which was originally part of a royal chapel attached to Parliament. The building has since been used as a chamber for Oliver Cromwell, a house for the Speaker of the Commons, and more recently as an open-plan office for unlucky MPS, one of whom described it as a “Gothic slum”.

The window panel that has been restored is formed of stained glass and surrounded by ornate stonework and griffin gargoyles, but was f ound decrepit and covered in soot a year ago.

Stonemasons have restored the window and plan to work on the rest of the courtyard below. Commons authorities say the hidden cloister, one of the oldest parts of Parliament, could then be opened to the public.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, told The Telegraph it was “absolutely crucial that we’ve got this fantastic work in one of the oldest parts of the House of Commons, and that we’re going to bring people back in to see it. It’s that history that has been preserved that could easily have been lost”.

Sir Lindsay, who is overseeing the restoration and renewal of the Palace of Westminster, said the “Tudors are back in vogue” and it was important to share Parliament’s history with the public.

Plans to move MPS out of the Palace for more invasive restoration works have been delayed. “We’re already started restoration and renewal,” the Speaker said.

“The attention to detail that has brought back to life these intricate carvings of griffins, lions and rosettes is a sight to behold.”

Dr Mark Collins, a historian of the parliamentary estate, said the restoration was urgent to allow the original details to be preserved.