Building    From 1295 

House of Commons

Building

The palace of Westminster has been the home of Parliament since a meeting there in 1295. It split into two "houses" in 1341 but, having been built as a royal residence, the palace had no suitable meeting spaces so the two houses used a number of different rooms. Then in 1547, as one of the results of the dissolution of the monasteries, St Stephen's Chapel, inside the Palace of Westminster, fell vacant and was used thereafter as the debating chamber for the Commons.

Over the years many changes were made to the chapel and then on 16 October 1834 the Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed in a fire and of St Stephen's only the cloisters and crypt survived.

Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin built the Gothic-style replacement palace over the period 1840-1870. The Commons chamber was completed in 1852.

On the night of 10/11 May 1941 the Commons chamber was badly bombed. After the war it was rebuilt by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, in a simplified version of what had been there before. More details at Parliament UK.

As well as the stonework in Hampstead there is also a finial in Maidstone (thanks to Scott Martin for this bit of info.) apparently 'set free' by the 1941 bomb but it's not clear if it is a rare on-site survivor of the fire or part of the Victorian replacement. The wonderful Londonist tells us that after the 1941 bomb authenticated lumps of stone from the building were modelled into ash-trays etc. and sold for war-time charities. Another Londonist post reports that a rather odd 2014 sculpture in Bermondsey contains fragments of the Houses of Parliament, which we'd guess came from the House of Commons.

See also Houses of Parliament.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
House of Commons

Commemorated ati

Millstream House - gargoyle

See the plaque at this site for more details.

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Millstream House - plaque

The plaque seems to be attempting to justify the presence here of these bits ...

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Well-head from House of Commons

This plaque is affixed to the top of the stonework of the well-head. Andrew ...

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
House of Commons

Creations i

Silver Jubilee fountain

Funded by private donations from MPs and unveiled by the Queen. 26 foot high,...

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Other Subjects

Edward Heath

Edward Heath

Conservative Prime Minister 1970 - 74. Born Broadstairs but lived the first 7 years of his life at the house with the plaque. Died at his home Arundells in Salisbury. 2015: Oh, dear, he's being in...

Person, Politics & Administration

2 memorials
Cllr. Maurice Heaster

Cllr. Maurice Heaster

Conservative councillor. Mayor of Wandsworth in 1985. Chair of the Wandsworth Policy and Finance Committee 1994. Awarded an OBE in 2010 when he had "been a councillor for 40 years, and deputy leade...

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
300 years of Anglo-Dutch Maritine Friendship

300 years of Anglo-Dutch Maritine Friendship

Both sea-faring, Protestant nations, relations have been pretty good since William of Orange was invited to take the British throne in 1688.

Event, Community / Clubs, Politics & Administration, Netherlands

1 memorial
Wilfred Lawson Sir

Wilfred Lawson Sir

Radical, MP and temperance advocate, nicknamed "Dry Wilf". Second Baronet of Brayton.Member of Parliament for Carlisle, Cockermouth, Camborne, 1859-1906. President of the United Kingdom Alliance...

Person, Food & Drink, Politics & Administration, Social Welfare

1 memorial
Sir John Wollaston

Sir John Wollaston

Born at Perton in Staffordshire. His name varies in spelling: Wollaston or Woolaston. In London, apprenticed to the Goldsmiths' Company from 1604 to 1611. Achieved great wealth in the City of Londo...

Person, Benefactor, Lord Mayor, Politics & Administration

1 memorial