Over the past year of Elizabeth Tower blog posts from the Parliamentary Archives, we’ve taken a deeper look at the Ayrton Light, Big Ben and the quarter bells and the decorative shields which adorn the Tower’s façade. As restoration of …
In this period, Poplar was one of the poorest areas of London, with high levels of unemployment, poverty and hunger. Under the Poor Law, initiatives to alleviate these issues by the Poplar Poor Law Union had to be funded by …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
Emanuel Shinwell: Politician, Peer, Pugilist In the first of our series on the history of Jewish MPs we chronicle the ‘nine lives’ of Manny Shinwell. This blog was written by Richard Ward, Assistant Archives Officer. You know you’ve made it …
This blog article was written by Nicole Hartland, Archive Assistant (Graduate Trainee). The sound of Big Ben is iconic. Big Ben (rings the note of E) and the four quarter bells (ring G sharp, F sharp, E, and B) sound …
