Here's but a scratch of what I've found in the last few minutes....a lot of it's the same info, but cool stuff!!
"The Hammerbeam roof, the work of Hugh Herland, has been said to be quite without rival in any part of the world. Certainly this is the largest medieval timber roof north of the Alps, and the Hall is one of the largest ancient buildings in Europe which is undivided by columns. The Hammerbeam from which it is named is the horizontal beam which projects from the top of the wall, supporting the struts and arched braces which hold up the roof proper. Here the ends of the hammerbeams are decorated with the figures of angels, which were carved by Robert Grassington.
The Timbers of the roof came from Hampshire, Surrey and Hertfordshire; having been prepared at Farnham, the timbers were floated down the river from Chertsey to Westminster."
"Westminster Hall is the oldest remaining part of the old palace, with its walls being erected in 1097 in the reign of William Rufus. The roof was originally supported by two rows of pillars, but by 1399 Richard II wanted to make the Hall more impressive by building an unsupported roof. This great challenge was met by carpenter Hugh Herland and architect Henry Yevele. They solved the problem by building huge hammer shaped oak beams and strengthening the walls. The hammerbeam roof is still an impressive sight today. Westminster Hall is now used for major public ceremonies.
"The present enormous structure, of Neo-Gothic design, was built (1840–60) by Sir Charles Barry to replace an aggregation of ancient buildings almost completely destroyed by fire in 1834. The complex served as a royal abode until the 16th cent., when it was adopted as the assembly place for the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Great Hall was built by William II at the end of the 11th cent. The superbly constructed hammer-beam roof spanning its width of 68 ft. (20.7 m), part of a subsequent rebuilding of the hall by Richard II, was the finest extant example of medieval open-timber work; it was burned by incendiary bombs in 1941. Westminster Hall was the only portion of the palace to survive intact from the fire of 1834 and now serves as the entrance of the building. In it the House of Lords, sitting as the highest English court of law, met for centuries. Among the numerous events of historic renown enacted there were the deposition of Richard II, the sentencing of Charles I, and the trials of Sir Thomas More and Warren Hastings. Damage inflicted during air raids during World War II has since been completely repaired."
"Westminster Hall was the home of English superior courts until they were moved to the Strand in the early 1880s. Construction of the hall began in 1097; the hall is 240 feet long, 67½feet wide, and 90 feet high. In addition to holding regular court sessions, the hall was the focal point of medieval political life.
Many famous trials were held in the hall. Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), lord chancellor for Henry VIII (1491-1547), was sentenced to death for refusing to recognize royal supremacy over the church. Charles I (1600-49) was sentenced to death for treason, and Warren Hastings (1732-1818) was impeached for his handling of the East India Company.
Westminster Hall contained the King's Bench, the Court of Chancery, and the Court of Common Pleas. Until the eighteenth century, it had no partitions or screens to divide the courts from the open hall.
The hall was part of Westminster Palace, which, except for the hall and St. Stephen's Chapel, was destroyed by fire in 1834. The houses of Parliament were constructed next to the hall between 1840 and 1860."
"Sir Charles Barry's design for the Palace of Westminster uses the Perpendicular Gothic style, which was popular during the 15th century and returned during the Gothic revival of the 19th century. Barry was himself a classical architect, but he was aided by the Gothic architect Augustus Pugin. Westminster Hall, which was built in the 11th century and survived the fire of 1834, was incorporated in Barry's design. Pugin was displeased with the result of the work, especially with the symmetrical layout designed by Barry; he famously remarked, "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body."
Stonework
The stonework of the building was originally Anston, a sand-coloured magnesian limestone quarried in the village of Anston in South Yorkshire. The stone, however, soon began to decay due to pollution and the poor quality of some of the stone used. Although such defects were clear as early as 1849, nothing was done for the remainder of the 19th century. During the 1910s, however, it became clear that some of the stonework had to be replaced.
In 1928 it was deemed necessary to use Clipsham Stone, a honey-coloured limestone from Rutland, to replace the decayed Anston. The project began in the 1930s but was halted due to the Second World War, and completed only during the 1950s. By the 1960s pollution had once again begun to take its toll. A stone conservation and restoration programme to the external elevations and towers began in 1981, and ended in 1994. The House Authorities have since been undertaking the external restoration of the many inner courtyards and this is due to continue until approximately 2010."
"Westminster Hall, the oldest existing part of the Palace of Westminster, was erected in 1097. The roof was originally supported by pillars but, during the reign of King Richard II, it was replaced by a hammerbeam roof designed by Henry Yevele and Hugh Herland. Westminster Hall is one of the largest halls in Europe with an unsupported roof; it measures 21 by 73 m (68 by 240 ft). An Essex legend has it that the oak timber came from woods in Thundersley, Essex."
And the list goes on.....