Pepys, famed for writing an eye-opening diary, was an MP from 1679 to 1688
A secret doorway which would have been used by diarist Samuel Pepys has been rediscovered in the House of Commons.
The entrance, which was created for the procession to the Coronation banquet of Charles II, dates back 360 years.
It would also have been used by William Pitt the Younger and the first defacto prime minister of Britain Robert Walpole.
It has been hidden for 70 years behind wooden panelling in a cloister that was formerly used as offices by the Parliamentary Labour Party.
A brass plate marks where the doorway had once been in Westminster Hall.
Historians believed it had been filled-in following reconstruction work after the palace was bombed during the Second World War.
But it has now been rediscovered in the course of the Palace of Westminster’s Restoration and Renewal Programme.
Liz Hallam Smith, the team’s historical consultant from the University of York, said: ‘We were trawling through 10,000 uncatalogued documents relating to the palace at the Historic England Archives in Swindon, when we found plans for the doorway in the cloister behind Westminster Hall.
Speaker Lindsay Hoyle examines the entrance, which was created for the procession to the Coronation banquet of Charles II in the 1660s
It has been hidden for 70 years behind wooden panelling in a cloister that was formerly used as offices by the Parliamentary Labour Party
‘As we looked at the panelling closely, we realised there was a tiny brass key-hole that no-one had really noticed before, believing it might just be an electricity cupboard.
‘Once a key was made for it, the panelling opened up like a door into this secret entrance.’
Pepys, famed for writing an eye-opening diary of 17th Century life, was an MP from 1679 to 1688, before his association with the Stuart monarchy saw him lose office following the Glorious Revolution.
House of Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, said: ‘To think that this walkway has been used by so many important people over the centuries is incredible.’
Mark Collins, Parliament’s Estates Historian, said he was certain the doorway dated back at least 360 years.
Dendrochronology testing revealed that the ceiling timbers above the little room dated from trees felled in 1659 – which tied in with surviving accounts that stated the doorway was made in 1660-61 for the coronation banquet of Charles II.
Research showed the route was used by part of the procession which passed from the old House of Lords into the hall where the king and queen were seated.
Historians believed it had been filled-in following reconstruction work after the palace was bombed during the Second World War
But it has now been rediscovered in the course of the Palace of Westminster’s Restoration and Renewal Programme
Thereafter, the doorway was used at subsequent coronations, by the Speaker’s procession and day-to-day by MPs to access the original Commons chamber, which was then sited where St Stephen’s Hall stands today.
Although blocked up in 1807, the doorway was briefly revealed twice before the most recent rediscovery.
It was found by the architect Sir Charles Barry following the fire of 1834, which destroyed much of the Medieval palace.
He used it to allow MPs to access their temporary accommodation while much of the palace was a building site.
Dendrochronology – tree ring testing – revealed that the ceiling timbers above the little room dated from trees felled in 1659
The doorway was blocked up in 1851 but – following bomb damage in 1940 – it was again revealed by workman installing a ventilation system for the rebuilding of the Commons by the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
On this occasion, a small secret access door was set into the panelling of the west Cloister, but because of the subtle nature of its construction, it remained largely unseen and then forgotten.
The team found the doorway after discovering the original hinges for two wooden doors.
They also found graffiti from bricklayers who helped Sir Charles Barry restore the palace following the fire of 1834.
One piece of writing left by men who helped block the passageway on both sides in 1851 read: ‘This room was enclosed by Tom Porter who was very fond of Ould Ale.’ ‘It’s quite incredible how this writing has survived and can be read so easily, despite having been scribbled in pencil,’ said Dr Collins.
‘We would love to hear from any descendants of Tom Porter or his colleagues and invite them to see where their relatives once worked.’