Category: Parliamentary buildings

19th Century history, Parliamentary buildings

‘The House divided’: the creation of a second division lobby for the Commons in 1836

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 proxy voting on a trial basis. While MPs now vote in two division lobbies, this has only been the case since 1836, as Dr. Kathryn Rix, Assistant Editor of our House of Commons, … Continue reading ‘The House divided’: the creation of a second division lobby for the Commons in 1836

Kathryn Rix4 Comments
Medieval history, Parliamentary buildings

Parliament in a portacabin: the routine maintenance of Westminster Hall in the Middle Ages

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 Research Fellow on the Commons 1422-1504 section, discusses… Complaints over the length of the parliamentary summer recess (much like teachers’ summer holidays) are a time-honoured staple of the political commentariate struggling to fill … Continue reading Parliament in a portacabin: the routine maintenance of Westminster Hall in the Middle Ages

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19th Century history, Parliamentary buildings

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 Parliament Burned Down’, has written a new article for the ‘Explore’ section of our website to mark the anniversary. Here is an extract from her article on the events of that dramatic night: … Continue reading Burning the House down: The Fire of 1834

The History of Parliament2 Comments