Since the medieval period, permission for building roads and other public works has been granted by acts of Parliament. Permission to build canals and railways has been granted this way since the eighteenth century, and since 1794 promoters of these …
This blog article was written by Sandip Samra. Sandip is a Customer Marketing and Communications Manager in the Research and Information department. She manages the House of Commons Library and POST's marketing and Communications to Parliamentarians. Sandip is currently co-Secretary …
By Mari Takayanagi, Senior Archivist Did you know the House of Lords set up a commission in India in 1938? The Lords Committee for Privileges was investigating a peerage claim and found that not all witnesses could travel to London …
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs National Portrait Gallery To mark South Asian Heritage Month, here’s a profile of Shapurji Saklatvala, a pioneering British Parliamentarian of Indian birth. Prepare to be enlightened about The Man, The Myth, The Marxist. This blog was …
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the coronation of George IV. It took place on 19th July 1821. The coronation ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey, followed by an extravagant coronation banquet held in Westminster Hall. There is a …
This blog will look at the piece of English law known as an ‘Act of Attainder’. It can be passed for the crime of treason to sentence a person, or multiple people, to death without trial. Attainders date back to …
At the top of the Elizabeth Tower is the Ayrton Light, a lantern-like structure installed in 1885 which shines whenever either House of Parliament sits after dark. Restoration of the ironwork, casing and access areas are now complete. All we …
It was the morning of June 7th, 1780. In parts of London the embers were still smouldering from a night of feral tumult. Lord George Gordon was en-route to St James Palace hoping to seek an audience with the …
By Dr Andrew Thrush, History of Parliament Four hundred years ago, shortly after the start of the third Jacobean Parliament in 1621, the House of Lords created its first set of Standing Orders. Divided into thirty-three numbered clauses and amounting …
In the second of our series on the history of Jewish MPs we remember the unforgettable Renee Short. This blog was written by Richard Ward, Assistant Archives Officer. When you’re a backbench MP it can be difficult to make yourself …
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