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History

Leek, Thistle, Shamrock and Rose: Symbols of the UK and the Elizabeth Tower

Colour photograph of decorative shield on the exterior of the Palace of Westminster.

The Elizabeth Tower and the Palace of Westminster are decorated with beautiful and symbolic imagery – representing the values, history, and identity of UK Parliament. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the national plant emblems on …

When Records Began- A Plotted History of the Parliamentary Archives Firsts

This image shows a a map like plan. The river Dee runs through the plan. Farmland features heavily. There is compass in the top right hand corner.

Parliament first began to keep and preserve its archives in 1497. The Parliamentary Archives collects significant records created by Parliament such as Acts of Parliament, as well as documents that record the activity of Parliament such as journals and Hansard. …

Haunted Glass and Hidden History – details from our photographic collections

Promotional image showing a framed black and white photo above a sofa.

Learn more about the Parliamentary Archives photograph collection and the secrets hidden in them. This blog was written by Simon Barnes and Tim Banting, Heritage Photographers in the Parliamentary Archives The UK Parliament recently shared a photograph from our collections, …

Parliament’s environmental history in 4 objects

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Object 3: Register of temperature control and ventilation for the House of Commons, January to April 1854. Parliamentary Archives, OOW/5/2

This blog was written by Henrik Schoenefeldt, Professor of Sustainability in Architectural Heritage, University of Kent. For the last four years he has been seconded to the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme to undertake a large research project …