Images of the fire in 1834

The charred and gaunt remains of the upper part of the Chapel of St Stephen are still smoking, whilst below, the stonework of the Tudor Cloister Court has survived. The Cloister was repaired and remains as part of the present building, whilst the site of the Chapel was rebuilt as the grand entrance to the New Palace of Westminster.

The burning of the old Palace on 16 October 1834 lit up London’s night sky. People flocked to the scene, many crowding into small boats on the Thames. Turner recorded the scene for posterity, as did many amateur artists. Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin, the architects of the New Palace of Westminster, also witnessed the scene.

Westminster Hall was one of the most important buildings to escape destruction that night. The Lords’ buildings had perished because firefighters had not been able to pump water from the Thames as it was at a low ebb. However, by the time the flames threatened Westminster Hall later in the night, water could be pumped and the 14th century roof timbers were doused with water. With so many other buildings of the old Palace already destroyed, all hands joined in the desperate fight to save the Hall. It not only survived the fire, but withstood enemy bombing during the Second World War. Today it encapsulates nearly 1,000 years of the nation’s history.

The fire began in the one of the chimney flues in the House of Lords after a large number of tally sticks had been burned in the fireplace all day (wooden tallies were an outmoded form of accounting which had been used for administering loans and debts). It spread quickly through the mediaeval and newer buildings, including the Lords Chamber (Court of Requests), immediately behind the range of buildings in this view.

The transition of the Palace of Westminster from Royal Residence in the mediaeval age to seat of Parliament was achieved gradually. The building with twin towers in the centre of this drawing is the Collegiate Chapel of St Stephen, completed in the 1360s in the reign of Edward III. In 1547 it was given by Edward VI to the House of Commons and became their first permanent debating chamber.