At Westminster the chapter house, opposite the Palace of Westminster, was used from the erection of the present building for royal meetings, including many of the royal council, and was the usual location for meetings of the House of Commons until the reign of Henry VIII. It was then converted into the first home of what is now the Public Record Office (the national archives) soon after the English Reformation and the late Gothic paintings added behind the seats (see gallery) preserved hidden behind bookshelves until the 19th century.