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Westminster Hall, where Queen Elizabeth II's coffin will lie in state until her funeral on Sept 19, is the oldest part of parliament, with a central role in British history.

The major institutions of state grew from the hall, which dates back to the 11th century and is now part of the Palace of Westminster in London.

It was the legal and administrative centre of England for centuries, with parliament, the law courts and government offices developing in or around the historic building.

The trials of King Charles I, Gunpowder Plot ringleader Guy Fawkes, Scottish independence leader William Wallace and Reformation martyr Thomas More were held in the hall.

With stone walls two metres thick, construction began in 1097 under King William II, and was completed two years later. It was the largest hall in England, and probably Europe too.

The vast building measures 73 by 20 metres (240 by 67 feet). Its stellar feature is the hammer-beam roof, the largest surviving mediaeval timber roof in northern Europe.

Made from oak beams, it was commissioned in 1393 by King Richard II and is considered a masterpiece of design.

The hall survived the Great Fire of 1834, which largely destroyed the Palace of Westminster, and a direct bomb hit during World War II in 1941.

The hall hosted royal feasts and coronation banquets but is etched in public memory through its use for rare lyings-in-state.