Richard Condon

A forgotten Passage, the power of the Prime Ministers and political luminaries - and the course of the Victorian workers has been revealed in Parliament.

historians working on the renovation of The House of Commons found the lost 360-year-old passage, hidden in a secret chamber.

The door was for The Coronation of Charles II in 1660, so that the guests will have access to a festive Banquet in Westminster Hall , The Building next to the modern Commons chamber.

It was of generations of members and political dignitaries, such as the writer Samuel Pepys , as the main entrance to The Commons , But was blocked before he hides in the thick walls of the old building.

It was shortly re-discovered in 1950, during the repairs of the bomb damage, But then closed again and forgotten Until Now . To say

"that we were surprised is an understatement - we really thought you had previously installed for ages, But after The War ," says Mark Collins , the Parliament, the estates historian.

Liz Hallam Smith, historical Advisor to the Parliament's architecture and heritage team, said: "I was surprised, because it shows that The Palace of Westminster has to give so many secrets.

"It is the way that the speaker would come the procession, on the way to The House of Commons, as well as many of the members over the centuries, so it is a very historic place. "

The current inhabitants of the speakers chair, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: "To believe that this pavement was of so many important people over the centuries is incredible. I'm so proud of our employees for making this discovery. "

A brass memorial plaque, erected in Westminster Hall in the year 1895 marked the place where the door once was, But , says Dr Hallam Smith, "almost nothing was known about them".

It was behind a thick masonry wall on the hall side, and The Wood paneling that runs the entire length of a Tudor monastery, on The Other side.

until three years ago, the monastery had been used as office rooms of the Labour Party , and before that, a cloakroom for MPs.

It was Dr. Hallam Smith discovered, the detection of small, secret door, the set had been in the convent of the panel, while the Parliament is the last big renovation in the year 1950.

"We were week to 10,000 uncatalogued archives in Swindon, documents relating to The Palace in the ancient England, if we plans to the the door in the cloister behind the Westminster Hall .

"When we looked at the panel closely, we realized it was a small brass key-hole, no-one had really noticed, to believe, it could Just Be a power-Cabinet. "

The Team turned to the Parliament of the locksmith for help and, with some difficulty, he was able to open the wooden door, to reveal a tiny, stone-tiled chamber, with a walled-up door on the opposite wall.

she discovered the original hinges for the two doors made of wood 3. 5m high that would have opened in Westminster Hall .

They also found graffiti dates back to the reconstruction of the Parliament, in a neo-Gothic style after The Fire in 1834 much destroyed the medieval Palace.

The scribbled pencil marks, to the left of The Men who helped to block the passage, the reading on both sides in the years 1851 to: "This Room was surrounded by Tom Porter , who was very fond of Ould Ale . "