The Star Chamber was an English Court of Law, which sat at the Royal Palace of Westminster, from the late 15th century to the mid-17th century , so called, because the ceiling was decorated with bright stars, so convicts could gaze up at them when sentenced at the Court of Westminster.

The Chamber was originally established to ensure the fair enforcement of laws, against socially and politically prominent people, so powerful that ordinary courts would probably hesitate to convict them of their crimes. However, it became synonymous with social and political oppression through the arbitrary use and abuse of the power it wielded.

The Chamber itself stood until demolished in 1806, when its materials were salvaged.

The door now hangs in the nearby Westminster School and the historic Star Chamber ceiling, with its bright gold stars and four tapestries depicts the four seasons, now the perfect venue to serve our range of fabulous selection of Afternoon Teas. Peruse the Afternoon Tea menu below .