During peak periods, as many as ten thousand people an hour streamed through the Hall, pausing for a few seconds to bow or curtsy when they reached the coffin. For observers who attempted to look upon the scene for any length of time, the effect was almost hypnotic. ‘The monotonous movement of the crowd . . . worked its way into the brain,’ wrote an awe-inspired correspondent from The Times.21 Exiting via the North Door into New Palace Yard, many mourners craned back, as if to impress the scene upon their memories.
