diff --git a/src/component-index.js b/src/component-index.js
index 8a4035811a..b5f5dd0a53 100644
--- a/src/component-index.js
+++ b/src/component-index.js
@@ -26,10 +26,6 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 module.exports.components = {};
 module.exports.components['structures.CreateRoom'] = require('./components/structures/CreateRoom');
-module.exports.components['structures.login.ForgotPassword'] = require('./components/structures/login/ForgotPassword');
-module.exports.components['structures.login.Login'] = require('./components/structures/login/Login');
-module.exports.components['structures.login.PostRegistration'] = require('./components/structures/login/PostRegistration');
-module.exports.components['structures.login.Registration'] = require('./components/structures/login/Registration');
 module.exports.components['structures.MatrixChat'] = require('./components/structures/MatrixChat');
 module.exports.components['structures.MessagePanel'] = require('./components/structures/MessagePanel');
 module.exports.components['structures.RoomStatusBar'] = require('./components/structures/RoomStatusBar');
@@ -38,6 +34,10 @@ module.exports.components['structures.ScrollPanel'] = require('./components/stru
 module.exports.components['structures.TimelinePanel'] = require('./components/structures/TimelinePanel');
 module.exports.components['structures.UploadBar'] = require('./components/structures/UploadBar');
 module.exports.components['structures.UserSettings'] = require('./components/structures/UserSettings');
+module.exports.components['structures.login.ForgotPassword'] = require('./components/structures/login/ForgotPassword');
+module.exports.components['structures.login.Login'] = require('./components/structures/login/Login');
+module.exports.components['structures.login.PostRegistration'] = require('./components/structures/login/PostRegistration');
+module.exports.components['structures.login.Registration'] = require('./components/structures/login/Registration');
 module.exports.components['views.avatars.BaseAvatar'] = require('./components/views/avatars/BaseAvatar');
 module.exports.components['views.avatars.MemberAvatar'] = require('./components/views/avatars/MemberAvatar');
 module.exports.components['views.avatars.RoomAvatar'] = require('./components/views/avatars/RoomAvatar');
@@ -64,10 +64,10 @@ module.exports.components['views.login.LoginHeader'] = require('./components/vie
 module.exports.components['views.login.PasswordLogin'] = require('./components/views/login/PasswordLogin');
 module.exports.components['views.login.RegistrationForm'] = require('./components/views/login/RegistrationForm');
 module.exports.components['views.login.ServerConfig'] = require('./components/views/login/ServerConfig');
-module.exports.components['views.messages.MessageEvent'] = require('./components/views/messages/MessageEvent');
 module.exports.components['views.messages.MFileBody'] = require('./components/views/messages/MFileBody');
 module.exports.components['views.messages.MImageBody'] = require('./components/views/messages/MImageBody');
 module.exports.components['views.messages.MVideoBody'] = require('./components/views/messages/MVideoBody');
+module.exports.components['views.messages.MessageEvent'] = require('./components/views/messages/MessageEvent');
 module.exports.components['views.messages.TextualBody'] = require('./components/views/messages/TextualBody');
 module.exports.components['views.messages.TextualEvent'] = require('./components/views/messages/TextualEvent');
 module.exports.components['views.messages.UnknownBody'] = require('./components/views/messages/UnknownBody');
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ module.exports.components['views.rooms.AuxPanel'] = require('./components/views/
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.EntityTile'] = require('./components/views/rooms/EntityTile');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.EventTile'] = require('./components/views/rooms/EventTile');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.InviteMemberList'] = require('./components/views/rooms/InviteMemberList');
+module.exports.components['views.rooms.LinkPreviewWidget'] = require('./components/views/rooms/LinkPreviewWidget');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.MemberInfo'] = require('./components/views/rooms/MemberInfo');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.MemberList'] = require('./components/views/rooms/MemberList');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.MemberTile'] = require('./components/views/rooms/MemberTile');
@@ -90,8 +91,8 @@ module.exports.components['views.rooms.RoomPreviewBar'] = require('./components/
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.RoomSettings'] = require('./components/views/rooms/RoomSettings');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.RoomTile'] = require('./components/views/rooms/RoomTile');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.RoomTopicEditor'] = require('./components/views/rooms/RoomTopicEditor');
-module.exports.components['views.rooms.SearchableEntityList'] = require('./components/views/rooms/SearchableEntityList');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.SearchResultTile'] = require('./components/views/rooms/SearchResultTile');
+module.exports.components['views.rooms.SearchableEntityList'] = require('./components/views/rooms/SearchableEntityList');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.SimpleRoomHeader'] = require('./components/views/rooms/SimpleRoomHeader');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.TabCompleteBar'] = require('./components/views/rooms/TabCompleteBar');
 module.exports.components['views.rooms.TopUnreadMessagesBar'] = require('./components/views/rooms/TopUnreadMessagesBar');
diff --git a/src/components/views/messages/TextualBody.js b/src/components/views/messages/TextualBody.js
index 92447dd1da..d93b4bac9b 100644
--- a/src/components/views/messages/TextualBody.js
+++ b/src/components/views/messages/TextualBody.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ var HtmlUtils = require('../../../HtmlUtils');
 var linkify = require('linkifyjs');
 var linkifyElement = require('linkifyjs/element');
 var linkifyMatrix = require('../../../linkify-matrix');
+var sdk = require('../../../index');
 
 linkifyMatrix(linkify);
 
@@ -39,26 +40,42 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         highlightLink: React.PropTypes.string,
     },
 
+    getInitialState: function() {
+        return {
+            link: null,
+        };
+    },
+
     componentDidMount: function() {
         linkifyElement(this.refs.content, linkifyMatrix.options);
 
-        if (this.props.mxEvent.getContent().format === "org.matrix.custom.html")
-            HtmlUtils.highlightDom(ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this));
-    },
-
-    componentDidUpdate: function() {
-        // XXX: why don't we linkify here?
-        // XXX: why do we bother doing this on update at all, given events are immutable?
+        var link = this.findLink(this.refs.content.children);
+        if (link) {
+            this.setState({ link: link.getAttribute("href") });
+        }
 
         if (this.props.mxEvent.getContent().format === "org.matrix.custom.html")
             HtmlUtils.highlightDom(ReactDOM.findDOMNode(this));
     },
 
-    shouldComponentUpdate: function(nextProps) {
+    findLink: function(nodes) {
+        for (var i = 0; i < nodes.length; i++) {
+            var node = nodes[i];
+            if (node.tagName === "A" && node.getAttribute("href")) {
+                return node;
+            }
+            else if (node.children && node.children.length) {
+                return this.findLink(node.children)
+            }
+        }
+    },
+
+    shouldComponentUpdate: function(nextProps, nextState) {
         // exploit that events are immutable :)
         return (nextProps.mxEvent.getId() !== this.props.mxEvent.getId() ||
                 nextProps.highlights !== this.props.highlights ||
-                nextProps.highlightLink !== this.props.highlightLink);
+                nextProps.highlightLink !== this.props.highlightLink ||
+                nextState.link !== this.state.link);
     },
 
     render: function() {
@@ -67,24 +84,34 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         var body = HtmlUtils.bodyToHtml(content, this.props.highlights,
                                        {highlightLink: this.props.highlightLink});
 
+
+        var widget;
+        if (this.state.link) {
+            var LinkPreviewWidget = sdk.getComponent('rooms.LinkPreviewWidget');
+            widget = <LinkPreviewWidget link={ this.state.link }/>;
+        }
+
         switch (content.msgtype) {
             case "m.emote":
                 var name = mxEvent.sender ? mxEvent.sender.name : mxEvent.getSender();
                 return (
                     <span ref="content" className="mx_MEmoteBody mx_EventTile_content">
                         * { name } { body }
+                        { widget }
                     </span>
                 );
             case "m.notice":
                 return (
                     <span ref="content" className="mx_MNoticeBody mx_EventTile_content">
                         { body }
+                        { widget }
                     </span>
                 );
             default: // including "m.text"
                 return (
                     <span ref="content" className="mx_MTextBody mx_EventTile_content">
                         { body }
+                        { widget }
                     </span>
                 );
         }
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/LinkPreviewWidget.js b/src/components/views/rooms/LinkPreviewWidget.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f474776713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/LinkPreviewWidget.js
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2016 OpenMarket Ltd
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+'use strict';
+
+var React = require('react');
+
+var MatrixClientPeg = require('../../../MatrixClientPeg');
+
+module.exports = React.createClass({
+    displayName: 'LinkPreviewWidget',
+
+    propTypes: {
+        link: React.PropTypes.string.isRequired
+    },
+
+    getInitialState: function() {
+        return {
+            preview: {}
+        };
+    },
+
+    componentWillMount: function() {
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().getUrlPreview(this.props.link).then((res)=>{
+            this.setState({ preview: res });
+        }, (error)=>{
+            console.error("Failed to get preview for URL: " + error);
+        });
+    },
+
+    render: function() {
+        var p = this.state.preview;
+        return (
+            <div className="mx_LinkPreviewWidget">
+                <div className="mx_LinkPreviewWidget_title">{ p["og:title"] }</div>
+                <div className="mx_LinkPreviewWidget_siteName">{ p["og:site_name"] ? (" &emdash; " + p["og:site_name"]) : null }</div>
+                <div className="mx_LinkPreviewWidget_image">
+                    <img src={ p["og:image"] }/>
+                </div>
+                <div className="mx_LinkPreviewWidget_description">
+                    { p["og:description"] }
+                </div>
+
+            </div>
+        );
+    }
+});