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(1833-1912) Elected to the Canadian House of Commons

Hon. Edward Blake

(1833-1912) Elected to the Canadian House of Commons

Famous English politician, in the House of Commons.

Charles Bradlaugh

Famous English politician, in the House of Commons.

A British statesman who helped form the Anti-Corn Law League. He also sat in the House of Commons from 1843 to 1889.

John Bright

A British statesman who helped form the Anti-Corn Law League. He also sat in the House of Commons from…

"The narrow room in which the House of Commons holds its sessions contains seats for less than 350 of the 707 members. The discomfort in crowding is compensated for by the ease of hearing. The representative sit on benches facing one another across the aisle. The Speaker of the House occupies a chair at the end of the room. On his right are the members of the Ministry; on his left, the Opposition. The Speaker's symbol, the mace, is carried before him when he formally leaves and enters the House, and remains on the table while he occupies the chair."—Webster, 1920

Interior of the House of Commons

"The narrow room in which the House of Commons holds its sessions contains seats for less than 350 of…

Benjamin Disraeli as the Earl of Beaconsfield in the House of Commons.

Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli as the Earl of Beaconsfield in the House of Commons.

(1722-1770) Member of the House of Commons and First Lord of the Treasury

George Greenville

(1722-1770) Member of the House of Commons and First Lord of the Treasury

Gladstone was a British statesman and Prime Minister.

William Ewart Gladstone

Gladstone was a British statesman and Prime Minister.

Inside the House of Commons.

House of Commons

Inside the House of Commons.

The interior of the House of Commons in Parliament during the 1900's. It is pictured packed with representatives. The Commons Chamber was designed to foster adversarial feelings. Benches line the walls and face each other. The ceiling is vaulted and the walls are highly decorated.

The House of Commons Interior in the Early 20th Century

The interior of the House of Commons in Parliament during the 1900's. It is pictured packed with representatives.…

This is the Plan of Principal Floor of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, England. Other wise known as Westminster Palace, It is an example of Modern English Architecture. The architect was Sir Charles Barry. Construction lasted from 1836 to 1868. The Houses of Parliament is located on the River Thames. The scale is given in feet. "Barry's great building, the Houses of Parliament, with which his name will always be more especially associated, comes accidentally, though not by natural development nor by his own choice, under the head of the Gothic revival. The style of Tudor Gothic was dictated to the competitors, apparently from a mistaken idea that the building ought to "harmonize" with the architecture of Henry VII.'s chapel adjacent to the site. Had Barry been left to himself, there is no doubt that the Houses of Parliament, with the same main characteristics of plan and grouping, would have been a classic type of detail, and would possibly have been still a finer building than it is; and since the choice of the Gothic style in this case was not a direct consequence of the Gothic revival movement, it may be considered separately from that. The architectural greatness of the building consists, in the first place, in the grand yet simple scheme of Barry's plan, with the octagon hall in the centre, as the meeting-point for the public, the two chambers to north and south, and the access to the committee-rooms and other departments subordinate to the chambers. The plan in itself is a stroke of genius, and had been more or less imitated in buildings for similar purposes all over the world; the most important example, the Parliament House of Budapest, being almost a literal copy of Barry's plan. Thus, as in all great architecture, the plan is the basis of the whole scheme, and upon it is built up a most picturesque and expressive grouping, arising directly out of the plan. The two towers are most happily contrasted as expressive of their differing purposes; the Victoria Tower is the symbol of the State entrance, a piece of architectural display solely for the sake of a grand effect; the Clock Tower is a utilitarian structure, a lofty stalk to carry a great clock high in the air; the two are differentiated accordingly, and the placing of them at opposite ends of the structure has the fortunate effect of indicating, from a distance, the extent of the plan. The graceful spire in the centre offers an effective contrast to the masses of the two towers, while forming the outward architectural expression of the octagonal hall, which is, as it were, the keystone of the plan."

Houses of Parliament, Westminster; Plan of Principal Floor

This is the Plan of Principal Floor of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, England. Other wise…

The mace is carried in order to represent an official's authority.

House of Commons Mace

The mace is carried in order to represent an official's authority.

"In England, as in Germany, architectural activity has assumed various phases in modern times. With few exceptions, the numerous newly-constructed churches are built in the Gothic style of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries; whilst public secular buildings, for which a certain simplicity is appropriate, such as school and university buildings, asylums, &c., as well as large country-houses, are either constructed in the Pointed or in the Late Gothic, or so-called Perpendicular or Tudor style, with flat-arched, curved, or even horizontal heads to the openings. Other public buildings, as, for instance, the Houses of Parliament, which is the most important modern building in London, are carried out in this style. The Renaissance style has recently been frequently employed, especially for dwelling-houses."The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is a complex of buildings in London. It is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons). The palace lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster, close to the government buildings of Whitehall.

New Houses of Parliament, London

"In England, as in Germany, architectural activity has assumed various phases in modern times. With…

An illustration of a group of Parliament members.

Parliament Members

An illustration of a group of Parliament members.

After a fire in 1834, the present Houses of Parliament were built over the next 30 years. They were the work of the architect Sir Charles Barry (1795–1860) and his assistant Augustus Welby Pugin (1812–52). The design incorporated Westminster Hall and the remains of St Stephen's Chapel. The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, England, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) meet. The palace lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster, close to other government buildings in Whitehall.

The New Houses of Parliament

After a fire in 1834, the present Houses of Parliament were built over the next 30 years. They were…