Burning the House down: The Fire of 1834
Today in 1834 a huge fire swept through the old Palace of Westminster, destroying most of the medieval buildings. Caroline Shenton, of the Parliamentary Archives at Westminster and author of ‘The Day...
View ArticleParliament in a portacabin: the routine maintenance of Westminster Hall in...
During the summer recess staff at Parliament take the opportunity to undertake repair work on the Palace. This is a practice that was undertaken throughout the ages, as Dr Hannes Kleineke, Senior...
View Article‘The House divided’: the creation of a second division lobby for the Commons...
The huge publicity given to recent parliamentary votes on Brexit has put the over-crowded division lobbies of the House of Commons in the spotlight as never before and prompted the introduction of...
View ArticleLegislating for the United Kingdom’s four nations in the age of reform,...
Ahead of tonight’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, we hear from James Smith, a doctoral candidate at the University of York. He spoke at our previous...
View ArticleAlternative uses for the palace of Westminster: the early 17th-century picture
With the palace of Westminster requiring a major restoration programme, and some people suggesting that Parliament should permanently relocate to a new home, Dr Paul Hunneyball of the Lords 1604-29...
View ArticleTop things to do in London: visiting the old palace of Westminster
With the Restoration and Renewal project in full swing in Westminster, offices are moving and buildings are being re-purposed to accommodate works, and the ever-changing jigsaw of scaffolding can be...
View ArticleThe House of Lords Outside Parliament Time, 1604-1629
Continuing our theme of alternative functions once served by the palace of Westminster, Dr Andrew Thrush of the Lords 1604-29 section considers activities at the southern end of the complex in the...
View ArticleParliaments, Politics and People seminar – The ‘Gothic slum’: MPs and St...
In May 2018, Dr Elizabeth Biggs and Dr Elizabeth Hallam Smith introduced the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar to the early history of St Stephen’s cloister, Westminster, presenting recent...
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First impressions of Westminster in the words of former MPs: back to school,...
Ahead of Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Emma Peplow & Priscila Pivatto, responsible for the History of Parliament Trust’s oral history project which...
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‘An Auld Sang with a New Tune’: Devolution to Scotland in the 1970s
Today’s blog is from guest blogger Tom Chidwick. Tom is writing a history of the 1979 referendum in Scotland and here he discusses the vote, the Scotland Act and the considerations for the location of...
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From Chicken House to Palace: 10 Downing Street in the 18th century
In February 1742, Sir Robert Walpole, newly ennobled as earl of Orford quit 10 Downing Street for the last time. It was expected that his successor, the earl of Wilmington, would replace him there,...
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Adapting the chambers of Parliament: from the galleries of the 18th-century...
Ahead of next Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Robin Eagles and Dr Kathryn Rix, of the History of Parliament. On 4 May 2021, between 5.15 p.m. and 6.30...
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‘London’s Latest Ordeal’: the Blitz and rebuilding of the House of Commons...
On the evening of the 10/11 May 1941 the House of Commons Chamber was destroyed during the Blitz. In today’s blog, 80 years on, our Public Engagement Assistant Connie Jeffery explores the event and...
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What did the Elizabethan House of Lords look like?
This might seem like a simple question but, as Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Lords 1558-1603 project explains, the answer is anything but straightforward… In 21st-century Britain, we take it for granted...
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Using the past to help us to understand the future of the Palace of Westminster
Ahead of next Tuesday’s Virtual IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Dr Alexandra Meakin of the University of Leeds. On 9 November 2021, between 5.15 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., she will...
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Comings and goings: the other houses of Downing Street
Previously on the History of Parliament blog we looked into the history of No.10 Downing Street, the infamous residence of the Prime Minister since the mid-18th century. But who called the other...
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Sitting at Oxford: the convening of Charles I’s ‘Mongrel Parliament’, January...
Throughout its history, Parliament has been no stranger to meeting in Oxford. Dr Vivienne Larminie, editor of our Commons 1640-1660, continues our look at Parliaments away from Westminster by...
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The Last Peer Hanged for Murder
In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles re-examines the trial and execution of Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, the last British peer to be hanged for murder. Long before he came...
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Before Big Ben there was Old Tom
As the restoration of the Palace of Westminster’s Elizabeth Tower reaches its final stages this summer, Dr Robin Eagles, editor of our House of Lords 1715-1790 project, takes a look at the clock tower...
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