The principal structural timbers supporting the Royal Pew are a significant survival of the King’s and Queen’s Holy Day Closets constructed by Cardinal Wolsey (1514-1528) and substantially re-modelled by Henry VIII in 1535-6.
In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the Tudor Royal Pew was extensively altered and refurbished for James I, William III and Mary II, and later for Queen Anne to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren and Grinling Gibbons, leaving the Chapel much as it appears today.
Scheduled project works
Timings: April - November 2007
Issues to address
• Due to extensive alterations, past insect infestation, decay of timbers in masonry walls and unacceptable live loading of the balcony structure, there is structural movement in the underlying timber structure.
Scheduled works
• Repairing the principal structure, using a combination of traditional timber repairs and contemporary interventions, including the installation of new steel supports hidden behind the panelling.
