Category: Buildings and Architecture

19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Victorian, Victorian Commons

A Westminster Boy Made Good: Charles Barry (1795-1860)

In this guest post, previously published on the Victorian Commons, Dr Caroline Shenton, formerly the Director of the Parliamentary Archives and author of The Day Parliament Burned Down (2012) and Mr Barry’s War (2016), reflects on an often-forgotten aspect of the background of Charles Barry, architect of the New Houses of Parliament. On the night of 16 October 1834, thirty-nine year old Charles Barry was travelling … Continue reading A Westminster Boy Made Good: Charles Barry (1795-1860)

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Georgian, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth, Speakers of the House

The Speaker’s House and the Evolution of the Speakership, 1794–1834

At the IHR Parliaments, Politics and People seminar on 6 May 2025, Dr Murray Tremellen of York Museums Trust will be discussing ‘The Speaker’s House and the Evolution of the Speakership, 1794–1834’ . The seminar takes place on 6 May 2025, between 5:30 and 6.30 p.m. It will be hosted online via Zoom. Details of how to join the discussion are available here. There are … Continue reading The Speaker’s House and the Evolution of the Speakership, 1794–1834

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Contemporary History, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Benjamin Disraeli, Buildings and Architecture, David Lloyd George, Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th earl of Derby, George Canning, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Modern, Robert Peel, Victorian, Winston Churchill

‘Made of Stone’ (or not): Statues in Parliament Square

For the past few months our Head of Contemporary History, Dr Emma Peplow, has been on Matt Chorley’s Radio 5live show every Thursday afternoon discussing the figures commemorated in Parliament Square. Here she shares some of what she has learned…. Even if the statues in Parliament Square are not ‘Made of Stone’, as the introductory music to our feature on Matt Chorley’s Radio 5live programme … Continue reading ‘Made of Stone’ (or not): Statues in Parliament Square

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The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Buildings and Architecture, Henry VI, Local History, Medieval, Military history, Social history

The town of Shrewsbury and the Wars of the Roses: The campaigns of 1459-61

Dr Simon Payling, of our Commons 1461-1504 section, explores the political allegiance of the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury during the Wars of the Roses. While, during the Wars of the Roses, the political allegiances of individual noblemen are relatively easy to determine, those of individual towns are generally obscured. This is not surprising, for the notion of the corporate allegiance of a town is a … Continue reading The town of Shrewsbury and the Wars of the Roses: The campaigns of 1459-61

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Victorian, 19th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Conferences, Seminars and Events, Parliamentary Life

Dining in the Palace of Varieties: institutional culture, society living and party management in the Victorian House of Commons

Ahead of next Tuesday’s Parliaments, Politics and People seminar, we hear from Professor Paul Seaward, former Director of the History of Parliament. On 29 October he will discuss Dining in the Palace of Varieties: institutional culture, society living and party management in the Victorian House of Commons. The seminar takes place on 29 October 2024, between 5:30 and 6.30 p.m. It is fully ‘hybrid’, which means … Continue reading Dining in the Palace of Varieties: institutional culture, society living and party management in the Victorian House of Commons

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Georgian, 18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Factions, Georgian Lords, Legal history, Local History, Religious history, Scottish History, Social history

The day Parliament was invaded

In the summer of 1780 London, and several other cities across England, experienced some of the worst rioting they had seen in a generation, following the presentation of a petition to Parliament calling for the repeal of the Catholic Relief Act. In the latest post for the Georgian Lords, Dr Robin Eagles considers the evidence of Lord George Gordon’s trial report and the insights it … Continue reading The day Parliament was invaded

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Georgian Lords, 17th Century history, 18th Century history, Buildings and Architecture, Economic history, Military history, Social history

‘The most surprising instance of a change of fortune raised by a man himself’: the case of James Brydges, 1st duke of Chandos

In the latest blog for the Georgian Lords, Dr Charles Littleton, considers the career of the 1st duke of Chandos, a man who rose to become one of the most flamboyant peers of the early 18th century and a key patron of the composer, Handel. Last month saw the 280th anniversary of the death of an intriguing and, in his time, prominent 18th-century aristocrat. Intriguing, … Continue reading ‘The most surprising instance of a change of fortune raised by a man himself’: the case of James Brydges, 1st duke of Chandos

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20th century history, Buildings and Architecture, Modern, Ramsay MacDonald

The House of Commons Chamber and the Politics of Seating

Parliament will be officially opened this week and debates will begin once again in the House of Commons. But with the Labour party winning such a large majority in the 2024 General Election, some of their Members may be left wondering- where should I sit? Emeritus Director of the History of Parliament, Dr Paul Seaward, looks to the past to find out more about the … Continue reading The House of Commons Chamber and the Politics of Seating

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Modern, 19th Century history, 20th century history, Buildings and Architecture, Social history

Two Gardening Giants- Joseph Chamberlain and Michael Heseltine

In the second of two blogs for National Gardening Week, here guest blogger Dr Jonathan Denby takes a closer look at two MPs with a passion for gardening, who served in the Cabinet one hundred years apart… When Joseph Chamberlain sat down with his cabinet colleagues in 1880 every one of them had a country estate with a large ornamental garden and they all, not … Continue reading Two Gardening Giants- Joseph Chamberlain and Michael Heseltine

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Modern, 18th Century history, 19th Century history, Benjamin Disraeli, Buildings and Architecture, Economic history, William Ewart Gladstone

Great Parliamentary Gardeners- The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Compared

The beginning of May marks the Royal Horticultural Society’s National Gardening Week, but many of the Parliamentarians in our volumes didn’t need extra encouragement to tend to their gardens. In this, the first of two blogs, guest blogger Dr Jonathan Denby looks at differing level of importance that was placed on gardening for MPs across the 19th and 20th centuries… Sir Roderick Floud’s magisterial ‘An … Continue reading Great Parliamentary Gardeners- The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Compared

History of Parliament2 Comments