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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Houses of Parliament
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(London SW1)
The magnificent Victorian Gothic building, standing on the bank of the Thames by Westminster Bridge with *Big Ben at its northern end, was made possible by the fire of 1834 which destroyed most of the *Palace of Westminster. Out of 97 designs submitted for a new building 'in the Gothic or Elizabethan' style, to contain both the House of *Commons and the House of *Lords, that of Charles *Barry was accepted and the work of building began in 1837. Queen Victoria formally opened the building in 1852, though it was not completed until after Barry's death. His is the imposing structure with its delicately ribbed façades, but he brought in *Pugin to provide the Gothic interiors.
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Immensely elaborate and now once again fashionable, these survive except in the chamber of the Commons and in the adjoining lobby, which were destroyed by bombs in 1941. They were rebuilt by Giles Gilbert *Scott in the same dimensions but with simpler ornamentation.
The tall square tower at the southern end of the building, at the other extreme from Big Ben, is the Victoria Tower. The Union Jack is flown above it from sunrise to sunset when parliament is sitting. The final completion of the building was achieved in 1860 with the roofing of the tower, though the House of Commons itself had been ready for occupation as early as 1847.
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