This year marks 150 years of the Palace of Westminster as we know it today - but there's a lot you might not know about this magnificent building.
This is the secret history of by who, how and why the Palace was rebuilt 150 years ago ⬇️ #Westminster150
This is the secret history of by who, how and why the Palace was rebuilt 150 years ago ⬇️ #Westminster150
The morning of 16 October 1834, two workmen arrived at the Palace of Westminster. They'd been ordered to burn two cartloads of wooden sticks in stoves in the @UKHouseofLords basement.
By 6pm, a great fire had swept through the Palace, destroying both of the Houses of Parliament.
By 6pm, a great fire had swept through the Palace, destroying both of the Houses of Parliament.
The Palace was ruined. It needed rebuilding - so in 1836, there was a public competition to redesign the Palace of Westminster. The winner was Charles Barry, a Westminster-born architect.
Construction started in 1840, and in 1870 the Palace was completed - 150 years ago.
Construction started in 1840, and in 1870 the Palace was completed - 150 years ago.
But there's another name very strongly associated with the building of the Palace of Westminster - Augustus Pugin.
Barry turned to Pugin, a gifted young architect, to help him carry out the Gothic vision of the Palace.
Barry turned to Pugin, a gifted young architect, to help him carry out the Gothic vision of the Palace.
To this day, there's a lot of controversy over which architect deserves greater credit for the architectural triumph that is the Palace of Westminster.
But credit aside, neither Barry nor Pugin actually got to see the finished creation.
But credit aside, neither Barry nor Pugin actually got to see the finished creation.
Long working hours and stress took its toll, and Charles Barry died 10 years before the completion of the Palace, leaving his son to take over.
Pugin's health also suffered from the exertions of rebuilding the Palace, and he was committed to Bedlam asylum before dying in 1852.
Pugin's health also suffered from the exertions of rebuilding the Palace, and he was committed to Bedlam asylum before dying in 1852.
At the end of Pugin's life, Barry paid him a visit, where the younger architect supplied him with a detailed design for the iconic clock tower - now known as the Elizabeth Tower, or Big Ben - his final piece of work.
Today, 150 years on, the Palace of Westminster stands proud - a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Grade I listed building, home to the biggest clock in the UK and the heart of British democracy.
See more about the last 150 years of the Palace of Westminster: parliament.uk/about/living-h…
See more about the last 150 years of the Palace of Westminster: parliament.uk/about/living-h…
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