The historic original floors in London’s Westminster Hall are now showing signs of damage just a couple of months after 250,000 mourners came to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
A House of Lords spokesperson said the Yorkstone floor is seeing some delamination or discolouring of the stone. This often occurs when the outer surface is split into thin layers, and they start to peel.
The spokesperson told The Telegraph: “As a consequence of the high-level continuous footfall through Westminster Hall during the lying-in-state some delamination to the Yorkstone floor has occurred.
“[The delamination] has exposed some areas of bare stone that will blend in with the surrounding areas over time. This does not present a structural risk.”
The 180-year-old floors are the oldest surviving feature of the original Palace of Westminster, which was rebuilt after a fire in 1834. The fire that destroyed the original palace is considered the largest conflagration between the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz during World War II.
The palace has a royal history as Westminster Hall was first used for a royal lying-in-state in 1910 following the death of King Edward VII. Her Late Majesty’s parents, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, were also mourned there after their deaths in 1952 and 2002.
News of the floor damage comes as the Royal Family transitions into a new era. Now under the control of King Charles III, members of the family are taking on new duties and new titles, including William and Catherine. Formerly known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, they are now known as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
