It was the main residence of English royalty from the middle of the 11th Century until a fire in 1512 caused Henry VIII to relocate. From 1547 the Commons met in what had been the Royal Chapel of St Stephen - all private chapels were abolished at that time. In 1834 the Palace was burned down; only Westminster Hall, the Jewel Tower and the crypt of St Stephen's Chapel and its cloisters were spared. Work on the current Houses of Parliament was started in 1840 by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin was completed in 18.
