THE ceiling angels of Westminster Hall have seen more than most. Watching over the seat of parliamentary power for more than six centuries, the 26 winged, wood-carved figures have looked down on everything from the trial of Guy Fawkes and the impeachment of Charles I to the lyings-in-state of Winston Churchill and, most recently, Elizabeth II. They are long-term observers of history, passive, but permanent, their hair tousled and their oaken mouths curved into beatific half-smiles. A penny for their current thoughts.
Their vantage point, however—40ft up among the trusses of the hall’s hammerbeam roof—means that only a select number of people have ever admired them up close. Woodcarver William Barsley is one of the few. In 2018, he was part of a small team of expert craftspeople brought in to restore the 8ft-long angels (which, despite retaining