Old and New London, A Narrative of its History, its People and its Places. Illustrated with Numerous Engravings from the Most Authentic Sources. vol 3
Thornbury, Walter
1872-78
Chapter LIX: The New Palace, Westminster.Opening of Parliament--Queen going to House of Parliament Plan of Old Houses of Parliament Plan of Houses of Parliament Building of Houses of Parliament
Chapter LIX: The New Palace, Westminster.Opening of Parliament--Queen going to House of Parliament Plan of Old Houses of Parliament Plan of Houses of Parliament Building of Houses of Parliament
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The site of the old Royal Palace at is now occupied by the Houses of Parliament, or, to speak more correctly, by the New Palace. This forms of the most magnificent buildings ever erected in a single decade in Europe-probaby the largest Gothic edifice in the world. The reader who has not yet had the good fortune to make a survey of this great temple of legislation may glean some idea of its vast proportions when we state that it covers an area of nearly acres; that to the eastward it presents a frontage of nearly feet; that the great tower at the south-western extremity reaches the gigantic elevation of nearly feet; that towers of lesser magnitude crown other portions of the building; that halls, galleries, vestibules and other apartments of great capacity and noble proportions are contained within its limits; that it comprises official residences, each -rate mansions, fit to receive families of distinction; that corridors and lobbies are required to servve as the great roadways through this aggregation of edifices; that noble apartments facing the river are occupied as committee-rooms, that libraries, waiting-rooms, diningrooms, and clerks' offices, exist in a superabundant measure; that greater courts and a score of minor openings give light and air to the interior of this superb fabric; that its cubic contents exceed feet, being -half more than ; and that the structure contains not less than between and distinct apartments, amongst which is a chapel for Divine worship, formed out of the crypt of old . | |
For some years previous to the destruction of the old Houses of Parliament by fire, on the , various plans had been suggested for enlarging and improving the buildings, especially the , which, besides not affording adequate. accommodation for its numerous members, was ill ventilated and unwholesome,and negotiations for building a new were at that time--in progress. Indeed, it was not only the which was felt to be too incommodious and ill suited for its purposes, but the same might also be said of the for, at various times between and , the late Sir John Soane was instructed to prepare plans and designs for the rebuilding, or, at all events, for making most extensive alterations and improvements in the existing ; and drawings of these designs, dated in and , are to be seen in the Soane Museum, in . By their side is a view of a design for the Royal Gallery, erected by the same architect, in the , in -. In the same year he almost wholly re-modelled the Court of Chancery, at , and the Court of King's Bench, close by, in . | |
After the fire in , commissioners were appointed to take into consideration whether it would be practicable to restore any part of the old building for the future meetings of the Parliament; or if that were not possible, on what plan an edifice more suited for the assembly of the Legislature should be erected. The latter course being at last dedicated on, as many as sets of designs were sent in, many of them of complicated and elaborate detail, showing great skill and talent on the part of the architects who exhibited them. The designs of Mr. (afterwards Sir) Charles Barry, R.A., were at last selected, in ; but it was not until that preparations for the new building were actually commenced. The was laid on the . In the details of the building he was largely assisted by the late Mr. A. W. Pugin, whose familiarity with Gothic architecture was probably unequalled since the Middle Ages. | |
A vignette showing the design of Sir Charles Barry, with the Clock and Victoria Towers at either end, as at present, but with great variation in the details of the main body of the structure, may be seen in the volume of Dr. C. Mackay's
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Viewed from the river, the building presents a frontage of nearly a feet, and consists of a centre portion with towers, wings, and wingtowers at each end. The wings have storeys above the basement; the centre and wing-towers storeys. The wings and centre portions are | |
p.504 | divided into bays by hexagonal buttresses, with sunk tracery and pinnacles to each. Each bay contains, between the principal windows, the arms and supporters of all the sovereigns of England, richly carved, from William the Conqueror to her present Majesty, Queen Victoria; and on each side are panels, with sceptres, labels, and appropriate foliage. In a band underneath each window are the names of the respective sovereigns, with the time of their reign and the date of their decease.[extra_illustrations.3.504.1] |
The parapets to each bay are filled with rich tracery, in the centre of which is a niche, with the figure of an angel holding a shield, bearing the monogram The towers have bold oriel windows, with armorial bearings on each, and panels containing the insignia of the present reign, with octagon turrets at the angles, and surmounted by an iron roof. Between the towers, at each end, are bays, divided by smaller buttresses and bays, within which are windows and panels, containing the arms of the kingdoms, with the rose, shamrock, and thistle entwined. The flanks of the wing-towers are divided into bays by a square buttress, containing niches, with statues | |
of St. George, St. Andrew, St. Patrick, and St. David (the patron saints of the kingdoms), and St. Peter and St. Paul. Between the windows are panels, containing angels supporting an imperial crown over the royal arms. In a band over the windows of the storey are panels, with the devices assumed by each sovereign since the Conquest, with mottoes and foliage. In the parapet in front of the towers, supported by an angel corbel, is a niche containing a statue of her Majesty; and the parapets at the back of each have a niche with a statue of Edward the Confessor, the founder of the Royal Palace at . | |
The north and south returns of the river front are also divided into bays by hexagonal buttresses. Each bay is divided into parts by niches, containing the statues of the Saxon kings and queens, from Vortigern ( king of the Heptarchy) down to Harold. | |
The exterior of the edifice is built of magnesian limestone, from Anston, in Yorkshire, and the interior of Caen stone; all the beams and girders are of iron, with brick arches between the floors, making the building entirely fire-proof. The commission recommended the magnesian limestone of | |
p.505 | Bolsover Moor and its neighbourhood as the fittest and most durable material; but the quarry would not produce the quantity required, and the stone from Anston was used instead.[extra_illustrations.3.505.1] [extra_illustrations.3.505.2] [extra_illustrations.3.55.3] |
[extra_illustrations.3.505.4] is situated at the south end the corresponding terminal towards the north being the residence for the Usher of the Black Rod. Between the extremes, and comprising what are called the curtain portions, are the library of the House of Peers and the library of the ; in the immediate centre is the conference-room for the Houses. All this is on the principal floor, which is some feet above the terrace, or high-water mark. The whole of the floor above the libraries, and overlooking the river, is appropriated to committeerooms for the purposes of Parliament, the Peers occupying about - towards the south, and the Commons -thirds towards the north. The House of Peers and the are situated in the rear of the front next the river, and are inclosed also towards the west, so as to be entirely surrounded by Parliamentary offices. | |
[extra_illustrations.3.505.5] , at the south-west angle, is of the most stupendous works of the | |
kind ever conceived. It is feet square, and rises to the height of feet. says a writer in the , | |
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[extra_illustrations.3.506.1] , is probably of the most striking and effective portions of the new Palace of . The loftiness of the vaulted groining, the rich and varied bosses at its intersections, the canopied niches over the doors, and the exquisite variety of the details, all unite in producing a charming whole. There are lofty arches on the south and west sides, as entrances. Entering beneath the tower, the royal gateway is on the north side, and consists of a beautiful archway deeply recessed, having within it a lesser archway, serving as the doorway. Over this is a panel containing the royal arms, supported by angels, very elaborately sculptured. Above the outer arch the wall is panelled into divisions, the central ones having in them very beautiful niches, containing figures of the Queen, Justice, and Mercy,--standing on short pedestals, bearing shields charged with devices, and further enriched with labels, &c.; and the outer divisions are filled with angels holding labels. Round the outer edge of the arch is a peculiarly rich cresting of roses and leaves. On the eastern side the wall is divided, similarly to the northern, into a lofty arch containing a dwarf arch deeply recessed, which leads into a long and narrow passage communicating with the Royal Court, where the state carriages wait during the Queen's stay in the . Over this dwarf archway the royal arms and the crest of the Prince of Wales are the decoration. There are divisions on the main portion of the wall exactly corresponding to those on the north wall, of them containing figures of St. George, St. Patrick, and St. Andrew, standing on pedestals bearing the respective crosses used as their symbols; and the remaining , angels holding shields bearing the royal arms. The rose cresting adorns this as well as the other arch, and bosses of the utmost variety of design fill the hollow of the jambs in both the great arches. This stately tower (supplying what Wren considered so much to need) was finished, by slow degrees, in , the architect deeming it of importance that the works should not proceed, for fear of settlement, at a greater rate than feet a year. | |
The royal staircase is entered from the Victoria Tower, and is very beautiful in design. There are flights of stairs each, leading to a vestibule of exquisite beauty, having clustered columns, | |
p.507 | supporting a very elegantly-groined roof, with bosses of great variety of design at the intersections of the ribs. Groups of pedestals, with statues, are at the bases of the columns. In this vestibule there are doors of entrance into a guard-room and into the Queen's Robing-room.[extra_illustrations.3.507.1] [extra_illustrations.3.507.2] |
The Robing-room is a lofty and spacious apartment, with a canopied throne at the further end, opposite to which is Mr. Dyce's fresco from the There are doors to this room, close upon the porch, the other nearer the throne; and Her Majesty, entering at the former, comes forth at the latter into a noble hall, feet long, wide, and high. This is called the Royal Gallery, and is decorated with frescoes illustrative of the and the by Mr. D. Maclise, R.A. The windows are filled with stained glass, and the ceiling is richly adorned with gilding and heraldry. | |
Passing from the Royal Gallery we enter the Prince's Chamber. This apartment is decorated with equal splendour to that just described; it contains [extra_illustrations.3.507.3] , supported by Justice and Mercy. | |
[extra_illustrations.3.507.4] , which we now enter, is nearly feet long by feet wide, and the same in height. The chamber presents a of the utmost magnificence, no expense having been spared to make it of the richest in the world. The ceiling attracts attention. It is not arched, but perfectly horizontal; massive ribs, carved and gilt, divide it into eighteen compartments, and each of these is subdivided into minor compartments, or panels, the ground of the panels being azure, enriched with heraldic devices. The ribs are, of course, supported by corbels and by spandrils, perforated. At each point in the ceiling where the ribs intersect each other, there are pendants, which greatly enhance the beauty of that portion of the building; but there are no depending lights--no lustres, no chandeliers swinging from the roof, to conceal elegance or cover deformity. The length of the extends from north to south, and during the day it is lighted by windows-- on either side --which reach nearly to the ceiling, but do not approach within feet of the floor. These apertures are double glazed, the inner portion being stained glass. Upon the same level with the windows, but on the northern and southern walls, are compartments, on each extremity of the house, filled with fresco paintings. [extra_illustrations.3.507.5] , immediately over the throne, is the painted by Mr. Dyce, R.A., and on either side are and both by Mr. Cope, R.A.; at the opposite end of the chamber are the by Mr. Horsley, A.R.A.; in the centre compartment, over the Strangers' Gallery, on either side are the and the both by Mr. Maclise. Between the windows, and at either end of the House, are eighteen niches, containing statues of the Magna Charta barons. | |
Having now surveyed the upper portion of the House, we descend to the galleries. That which is for strangers bearing peers' orders occupies the north wall, and contains accommodation for about persons. The throne and the reporters' gallery fill spaces of pretty nearly equal extent, but at opposite ends of the House. With the exception of those spaces, there is carried round the entire apartment a light gallery, consisting of only line of seats, and capable of containing nearly persons. The railing which protects these seats is a very beautiful specimen of brass-work and enamel. The reporters' gallery is placed in front of the strangers' gallery, but considerably nearer to the floor, and immediately over the bar. | |
The floor of the House presents to the eye of the spectator principal divisions, which extend transversely, viz., from east to west, each occupying the full breadth of the apartment, but unequal parts of its length. In the upper or southern division is the throne, together with spaces on either side assigned to distinguished foreigners and the eldest sons of peers. Next comes the central region, or the table and woolsack occupying the middle portion of the floor. On each side of these are placed, on ascending steps, lines of benches, covered with scarlet morocco leather, which are reserved for the exclusive use of the peers. The northern or lower boundary of this division is called the here the Speaker, accompanied by the assembly over which he presides, stands when summoned to attend Her Majesty or the Royal Commissioners. From that place gentlemen of the long robe address the House in its judicial capacity; witnesses are also there examined, and culprits are arraigned. The space below the bar affords standing room for or persons who are entitled to admission there. | |
The throne is distinguished by an airy, light, and graceful character, which harmonises at once with [extra_illustrations.3.507.6] [extra_illustrations.3.507.7] [extra_illustrations.3.507.8] [extra_illustrations.3.507.9] [extra_illustrations.3.507.10] | |
p.508 | the building and its surroundings. The platform on which Her Majesty's chair stands is ascended by steps, and constitutes a sort of central compartment, on either side of which, forming as it were wings, are minor elevations, where stand other chairs of state, for the Prince of Wales, and the other was placed for the late Prince Consort; the former is on the right of the throne, and the latter on the left. The framework of Her Majesty's chair of state is carved in gilt, and studded with crystals. In other respects the structure of these seats is conformable with the established fashion of such furniture, being cushioned with velvet and gold embroidery. The royal arms are emblazoned on the central chair, those of the heir-apparent on the chair appropriated to the Prince of Wales; the other chair is adorned with the shield of the late Prince Consort, surmounted by the multitudinous crests which Germans of gentle blood are usually entitled to display. In the most elevated and conspicuous part of the throne are niches, in which are placed statuettes, fully armed, each in the costume of of the chief British orders of knighthood.[extra_illustrations.3.508.1] [extra_illustrations.3.508.2] |
It was customary a century and a half ago, as now, for strangers, including ladies, to gain admission to hear the debates in the House of Peers, and probably in the also. But in it was resolved to exclude the fair sex; and the attempt to enforce their exclusion led to an amusing scene which is described by Lady Mary Wortley Montague in of her
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Passing southward, through the Peers' lobby and corridor, we reach the grand [extra_illustrations.3.508.3] , above which rises the central tower, feet in diameter, and feet high to the top of the lantern surmounting it. The exquisitely-groined stone roof of this hall is supported without a central pillar, and contains a long series of elaborately carved bosses. | |
The central Hall is reached from the principal public entrances, both through Hall and Old , by [extra_illustrations.3.508.4] , which occupies the same space as Chapel of the ancient Palace. Ranged along either side of this hall are --namely, Hampden, Falkland, Clarendon, Selden, [extra_illustrations.3.508.5] , Sir Robert Walpole, [extra_illustrations.3.508.6] , Lord Chatham, Pitt, Fox, Burke, and Grattan. Visitors to the new Houses of Parliament entering through Hall, if they halt under the west doorway, will see before them the area occupied by the and its lobby-the latter serving both as an outer hall and as a division-lobby. says Mr. R. Palgrave in his
On the left side of the entrance to Hall is the Private Bill Office; the doorway leading to it is modern; so is a winding corkscrew staircase that leads thence down into the cloisters, as also a doorway that opens from those stairs into Hall; but both the doorway and the stairs are stated to occupy the same position as those which gave access to members to the House between the years and -that is, from the time the Commons left the Abbey Chapter-house hard by, until the formation of a doorway in the south end wall of Hall, that led into a passage communicating with the west end of the Commons' Lobby. Here it was that Mr. Perceval passed along, on the ; for on the very spot where Burke's statue stands, by the left side of this very door into Hall, stood, pistol in hand, the madman Bellingham, watching for his victim.[extra_illustrations.3.508.7] [extra_illustrations.3.508.9] | |
The walls of the corridor leading from the House of Peers to the grand central hall, and also the leading thence to the , are covered with fresco paintings in compartments, the subjects being historical, such as the the the &c. These frescoes were painted by Cope, Ward, and other Royal Academicians. | |
itself is a very fine apartment, square in plan, about fortyfive feet each way, and having a doorway in each side. It forms the chief vestibule to the , and by a short [extra_illustrations.3.508.10] communicates with the great octagonal hall in the centre of the Palace, which, in fact, forms the only entrance to the Lobby. Each side of the Lobby is alike in its general features, being divided into equal parts--the central portion containing a deeplyrecessed and lofty doorway, and the others being divided into storeys. In this hall the messengers of the House sit waiting to be dispatched either to Government offices for documents, or, in the event of a division, to hunt out for members, | |
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however late it may be, or, rather, however early in the morning. In connection with this lobby an amusing story is told in Diprose's in which an Irish M.P. figured as the principal personage concerned. [extra_illustrations.3.509.1] [extra_illustrations.3.509.3] [extra_illustrations.3.509.4] |
In this lobby the --or whipper--in of his party--spends most of his time, rarely enteringthe House, but every doubtful and recusant member preparatory to a division, and making as many promises within any given hour as would take him any given years to accomplish. The electric bell, which gives notice of a division, rings simultaneously in every department of the vast building, and then comes a schoolboy rush of the members, many of whom, perhaps, have never heard word of the debate, and know as much about the merits of the question upon which the division is about to take place as does the bells which has summoned them to vote. | |
[extra_illustrations.3.509.2] , which was used for the sittings of members in , is of the same height and width as the , but little more than feet long, being reduced to the smallest possible size for the sake of hearing. So far as decoration goes, this chamber, compared with the , may be considered plain and unpretending. It is surrounded by galleries, which diminish its apparent size. The height of the House and the form of the roof are materially altered from the original design ; but, though shorn of its loftiness, it is a magnificent and imposing apartment. The ceiling is divided longitudinally into parts, the centre division being horizontal, the others inclined downwards : and these longitudinal sections are divided by massive ribs, resting on corbels, into square compartments, which are again subdivided, the horizontal into , and the other compartments into , small square panels; and on these are painted alternately a rose and a portcullis within floreated circles. The massive ribs are carved along the sides with a very elaborate and beautiful label pattern. The corbels rest on elegantly enriched shafts, springing from brackets having shields supported by lions sculptured upon them; and these are placed on the level of the lower part of the windows. The walls from beneath the windows to the galleries are panelled, the panelling being crested with a very beautiful brattishing. | |
On the east and west sides of the House there are windows, and at the north and south ends there are compartments to correspond with the fenestral arrangement of the sides; these spaces are filled with a very pretty lattice-work of wrought brass, forming a screen to the ladies' galleries. The windows are filled with rich stained glass, displaying the armorial insignia of twentyfour of the English boroughs. | |
The galleries are particularly effective specimens of design in Gothic wood-work; and, with their hand-rails and trefoil ornament of wrought brass, are extremely fine. The side galleries are for the use of members of the House, and each contains rows of seats. The northern gallery is for the use of the reporters, and to it there is a separate staircase with retiring-rooms. The southern gallery is divided into portions, being for distinguished visitors, the other for such of the public as may be fortunate to obtain admission; and to each of these portions there are separate staircases. The galleries are supported by pillars, and underneath, towards the wall, they are coved; which parts we hope will, at no distant day, bear on their gilded surfaces the achievements of the different Speakers of the , insimilar style to the coved soffits of the galleries to the . The fronts of the galleries, we should observe, bear on small shields the badges and monograms of the various Sovereigns of England. The Speaker's chair, at the north end of the House, is of very fine design. There are several rows of seats in the body of the House; and all being of ample dimensions, and covered with green morocco leather, harmonising delightfully with the warm brown tints of the oak panelling and framing to the seats, produce an air of repose and comfort. The clerks' table is panelled beneath with elaborately-carved work, and at its southern end are brass scrolls for the Speaker's mace to rest | |
p.510 | in during the business of the House; underneath there are wrought brackets for it to rest on whilst the House is in committee.[extra_illustrations.3.510.1] |
The seat of the Serjeant-at-Arms is near the bar, at the southern end of the House. There are doors on either side of the House, to lead into the division-lobbies; and there are similar doorways as entrances into the galleries. Behind the Speaker's chair is a doorway leading to retiringrooms for the Speaker, and communicating with [extra_illustrations.3.510.2] . | |
[extra_illustrations.3.510.3] is carried out on Dr. Percy's principle; the fresh warm air passing upwards through the perforated floor, and the vitiated air escaping through the | |
ceiling into an air-shaft, its exit being provided for by the panels of the ceiling not being made to rest on the intersecting ribs, thus allowing a space of about -quarters of an inch between the ribs and the panels. | |
Experiments were made in lighting the with the Bude Light in , and the plan was adopted in the following year. In , further experiments were made in the present House by the introduction of Dr. Reid's system of lighting. This system rendered unnecessary the massive chandeliers which were originally suspended from pendants at the intersections of the great beams of the ceiling; substituting, in lieu of them, rings of gas jets pendant to about the level of the main beams of the ceiling. Panels of the flat part[extra_illustrations.3.510.4] | |
p.511 p.512 | of the ceiling were taken out; and, in the openings thus made, pyramidal boxes, if they may be so termed, open at the top, and painted a brilliant white, were inserted; through the opening is pendant a gas-pipe, at the end of which is the ring of jets. |
On building the temporary after the fire in , a little gallery for newspaper reporters was erected over the Speaker's chair. What would Woodfall and Perry have given to have been thus accommodated in the infancy of reporting? Is the reader aware of the particulars of the struggle of the press with the privileges of the House? They have been frequently recorded. A century ago, when the that most venerable of periodicals--was in its years of infancy, the editor, Edmund Cave, ventured to peep into the House, and give the public some brief hints of what was said and done. But this was soon put a stop to. The public, however, beginning to relish periodical news, and especially having acquired a slight taste of Parliamentary reporting, were willing to receive more. Their conductors ran risks to supply the demand, but were obliged to offer their contraband goods under fictitious names. | |
What we to-day think of as journalism began when young Samuel Johnson composed Parliamentary speeches for , in , which is equivalent to saying that it began in systematic deception. Johnson avowed the fact a few years later at Foote's table, and avowed it with feeling that seemed nearer akin to exultation than shame. A certain speech, attributed to the elder Pitt, being highly commended, of the guests took down the magazine and read it aloud. When the company had given full vent to their admiration, Johnson, who had sat silent during the scene, startled them all by saying, Responding to their amazement, he explained- Here, perhaps, we have the origin of Dr. Johnson's aversion to newspapers, for we all abhor our sins when another commits them. He wrote in of his Idlers for , that if an ambassador may be defined as an editor is Towards the end of a daring effort was made by a number of printers to break through the privilege of the House, and boldly publish its proceedings. This created a great storm. The subject was taken up by the House in the beginning of the year , and a squabble ensued which we have described elsewhere (Vol. I., p. ). From that period the proceedings of the House have been regularly published. The reporters' gallery of the present House occupies a similar position to that above mentioned, over the Speaker's chair, but is, of course, more commodious, and furnished with suitable retiring-rooms, &c. | |
The system of reporting, as it now stands, is as follows:--The , and other daily papers have each a staff of gentlemen trained by long experience, by the aid of shorthand, to take down verbatim reports of the speeches delivered in Parliament. Each member of the staff connected with these papers takes his of about minutes in the gallery, and on being relieved by his successor, hastily writes out a full or condensed report of the speech from his shorthand notes, and dispatches it by a messenger to his respective journal. | |
Occasionally the reporters, together with other have been ordered to withdraw, by some obnoxious member drawing attention to their presence. But in the session of , evening the was ordered to be cleared, when the Prince of Wales was among the and this was felt to be so outrageous a proceeding that, after much controversy, it was agreed by Mr. Disraeli and Lord Hartington, and definitely laid down for the future,
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of the above subject, we may add that the late Mr. Luke Hansard, who made a fortune by his business as printer to the , and editor of the several volumes of which bear his name, came to London from Norwich in , a poor friendless boy. | |
Sick of the drudgery of a solicitor's office, young Charles Dickens was placed, at or years old, with Messrs. Gurney, of , the Parliamentary shorthand writers, where he soon learnt the use of his pen. He was a reporter in | |
p.513 | the gallery of the at the age of eighteen.[extra_illustrations.3.513.1] |
The subject of taking oaths by members of Parliament previously to their being entitled to vote on any question has assumed considerable prominence within recent years-firstly, on account of the succession of attempts which have been made to modify the form of oath administered so as to admit of its reception by persons of the Jewish faith; and, secondly, because of the very wholesale performance of the ceremony which the election of a new Parliament necessarily causes Apart from the religio-political view of the matter, it must be confessed that the proceeding is not very dignified or imposing. In the case of swearing--in of the members of a new Parliament, the Speaker sits from to o'clock every day for a week after the assembling of Parliament, for the purpose of administering the prescribed form of oath. On the day the counties and boroughs are called out alphabetically, and any of the members for each place as it is named who happen to be ready, present themselves at a long drawn-out table, and range themselves, schoolboy fashion, along its sides. A number of oblong pieces of cardboard, on which are printed forms of the oaths, are then produced from the brass-clasped oaken boxes which flank each side of the clerks' table, and of these is distributed to each member. A corresponding number of Testaments are then handed round to the members to be sworn; after which the clerk, in a more or less audible voice, reads aloud the form of words constituting the oath, and the representatives of the people repeat them after him in all sorts of tones, the only object, apparently, being to get over them as fast as they can, and to allow them to convey as little meaning to the mind and heart of the ministrant as possible. When the oaths are taken by members whom circumstances have caused to be elected in the beginning or in the course of a session, as contradistinguished from the opening of a new Parliament, the rule of the House was that the new members should be seated under the gallery below the bar before o'clock; the oaths could not be taken after that hour, although during morning sittings they can be taken at any time the Speaker chooses between and . The time, however, now is not so restricted. As soon as prayers are over, the Speaker calls on This they do, each advancing up the floor of the House between other members, who are styled their and making bows at intervals as they pass along, they go through the same course of cardboard and Testament as above described.[extra_illustrations.3.513.3] [extra_illustrations.3.513.4] [extra_illustrations.3.513.5] In single case the above rule was relaxed, and the newly-elected member was allowed to take his seat without the usual introduction. In all cases, as soon as the swearing--in has concluded, each member hands in a paper containing a statement of his election, and [extra_illustrations.3.513.6] . He is then named to the Speaker by the clerk, receives a shake of the hand and a few words of welcome from the right honourable gentleman, and afterwards takes his seat. | |
Down to the year , it was necessary that every new member on taking his seat should take the oaths prescribed But the election of the late Baron Rothschild for the City of London and of Sir David Salomons for Greenwich, necessitated a departure from these words, and at last, after many delays, in the obnoxious words were omitted, and members of the Jewish community have since taken their seats along with others, being sworn upon the Old Testament only. | |
Connected with our legislative assemblies there are certain odd forms of proceeding, of which it may be presumed that very few but those acquainted with the details of Parliamentary business have any notion. Many persons, for instance, may have seen, while standing in the lobby of the , [extra_illustrations.3.513.7] , surmounted by a crown--in short, a ; but few people are cognisant how important this toy. is to the legislative duties of their representatives.. Be it known, then, that without it the does not exist; and that it is as essential that the mace should be present at the deliberations of our senate, as that Mr. Speaker should, be there himself: without a Speaker the House never proceeds to business, and without his mace the Speaker cannot take the chair. At the commencement of a new Parliament, and before the election of a Speaker, this valuable emblem of his dignity is hidden under the table of the House, and the clerk of the table presides during the election; but no sooner, is the Speaker elected, than it is drawn from its hiding-place and deposited on the table, where it ever after remains during the sitting of the House; at.its rising, Mr. Speaker carries it away with him, and never trusts it out of his keeping. This important t.question of the Speaker's duty in retaining constant possession of this, which may be called his gilt walking-stick, was most gravely decided in the year , as appears by the On that occasion, Sir John Cust, the Speaker, being taken ill, sent to tell the House by the clerk at the table, that he could not take the chair. It appears that there was considerable discussion whether the mace ought not to have been in the House when this important communication was made. No , however, presumed to say that it ought to have been on the table; but many maintained that it ought, for the dignity of the House, to have been underneath it. It was decided, however, that Mr. Speaker had done quite right not to part with his and the House accordingly, as the inform us,
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Down to the year it was not possible for the House to continue its sittings without the Speaker's presence; but in that year it was ordered that the Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means do take the chair in the unavoidable absence of Mr. Speaker. | |
For a member to cross between the chair and the mace when it is taken from the table by the Serjeant-at-Arms, is an offence which it is the Speaker's duty to reprimand. If, however, [extra_illustrations.3.514.1] to give evidence or receive judgment, he is attended by the Serjeant-at-Arms with the mace on his shoulder; and however desirous any member may be to put a question to the person so standing at the bar, he cannot do so, because the mace is not the table; he must, therefore, write down his questions before the prisoner appears, and propose them through the Speaker, who is the only person allowed to speak when his is away. | |
If the House resolve itself into a committee, the mace is thrust the table, and Mr. Speaker leaves his chair. In short, much of the deliberative proceedings of this branch of the Legislature is regulated by the position in which this important piece of furniture is placed: to use the words of the learned Hatsell,
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It is a popular error that the mace now borne before the Speaker is the self-same that Cromwell ordered away when he dismissed the of the Long Parliament in . The Speaker's mace of the reign of Charles I. doubtless perished when the Crown plate was sold, in . The Commonwealth mace, which came into use in that year, was ornamented This was the that Cromwell treated so disrespectfully; and it soon disappeared altogether, for the Restoration supplanted it with a new mace, The mace that now lies on the table of the House bears neither date, inscription, nor maker's name; but the initials and the appearance of the workmanship, coupled with the order for a new mace in , which appears in the fixes its origin. | |
Considering the very limited area of the , a fair proportion of accommodation is afforded to spectators of the proceedings of the Estate of the realm. Immediately above the bar, and on a level with the Members' Gallery --in fact, quite within the precincts of the House proper--is a roomy gallery which is appropriated to members of the Corps Diplomatique, Peers, and distinguished strangers. A passage separates this from what is called the access to which is gained by orders from the Speaker himself. It has rows of seats, and will hold about persons. Next to this, but entirely apart from it, access being gained to it by a totally different way, is the Strangers' Gallery. | |
Admission to the Strangers' Gallery is obtained by means of a written order from a member; each member is privileged to give such order daily. There are rows of seats, each accommodating about persons, who, in common with all the occupants of the places devoted to the public, are subjected to very stringent rules of behaviour. No is allowed to rise from his seat, except for the purpose of leaving, and silence as nearly absolute as possible must be observed. The privilege of entering the Strangers' Gallery is which is very much sought after by enthusiastic constituents, who hunt after the of their members with considerable assiduity; and specimens of every class of the British elector and non-elector may be seen at times undergoing the rigid pleasure of seeing how things are done in Parliament. | |
In the course of the Crimean war in -, a military member of the House raised the question, and the Speaker decided that, although some such custom as the exclusion of officers or soldiers in uniform to the Strangers' Gallery had obtained, he knew of no order of the House to that effect; and now it is by no means an uncommon thing to see non-commissioned officers and privates in their regimentals listening with the prescribed gravity of demeanour to the emanations of the collected representative wisdom of the country. | |
Several amusing anecdotes are related with | |
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reference to the presence of strangers in the Houses of Parliament during the sittings of the members. In , a Scotch Highlander, in full costume, seated himself to the right of the Speaker's Chair, with as much equanimity as if he were reposing among the heather of his native hills. In , a lady entered by mistake, and who continued to gaze on her with apparent admiration and. satisfaction, quite inattentive to the discourse in progress from a masculine orator, till the fair intruder suddenly vanished. And it is said that in , a young Scotchman, finding his seat under the gallery unfavourable for hearing the speech of a countryman, proceeded to establish himself on the back benches, and remained there for hours, and even till the House adjourned, in spite of the glaring eyes of Mr. Joseph Hume, fixed on him all the time with scrutinising suspicion. |
Writing of the Skinners' Company, in his Stow says :--
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A correspondent of the relates a curious incident which occurred to a country clergyman when the late illustrious Duke of Wellington was Prime Minister.
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Similar mishaps have occurred since, and will probably continue to happen. In an instance occurred in the , of which the gives the following description :--
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We have already spoken of the frescoes with which the walls of the Houses of Parliament are decorated; but we may here observe that their apparently decaying condition, after having been painted scarcely years, gave rise to considerable discussion and uneasiness. The in the case of Maclise's famous water-glass picture of the showed itself by an efflorescence which spread itself over the whole surface of the picture; and towards the close of , the picture was subjected to a chemical treatment, under the superintendence of Mr. Richmond, R.A., apparently with success. | |
[extra_illustrations.3.516.1] are situated on the east and west sides of the House: herein is actually performed the act of governing this country, for, practically, the recording of the votes of members | |
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of the House decides every question of policy and administration. A in the is managed with great simplicity and adequate completeness. As soon as the moment arrives when it is the pleasure of the House to try the question before them by this test, the signal is given by the Speaker calling out, This order is obeyed only by the occupants of seats below the bar and the gallery just over the clock, both of which are actually within the House. The occupants of the Strangers' Gallery proper are now permitted to remain. As soon as the order to withdraw is given, a twominute glass is turned by of the clerks, in order to give time to members dispersed all over the purlieus of the House--the library, refreshmentroom, &c.-to come in, and notice is given to them by the ringing of bells all over the building, which is effected simultaneously by means of electricity. As soon as the sand has run out, the doors are closed and locked by the Serjeant-at-Arms, and all late comers are excluded. The Speaker then puts the question, and, having declared which side in his opinion has the majority of voices, his decision is questioned by some member, and he then gives |
the direction, and the former file out of the door at the back of the chair; the latter pass up the gangway on the Opposition side, and out at a small door at the lower end of the House, at the left side, under the gallery. The Speaker then orders to each door, and of them reports to him that The members thus driven out of the body of the House find themselves in a long corridor, represented in the engraving on the opposite page; and at the end of the corridor is a railing and a desk, between which sufficient space is allowed for person to pass at a time, after the manner of pay-places at the theatres. On side of these stand ( of each of the parties then voting against the other), and clerks, both of whom are provided with printed lists of the names of all the members of the House. As each member passes through the teller counts him-he himself usually calls out his name-and the clerks tick it off on the list, with a view to its being inserted in due course in the division lists which are printed every morning with the orders of the day. The members then return by into | |
p.518 | the body of the House, the ayes entering at the principal door below the bar, and the noes by the door at the back of the Speaker's chair. When all have passed, the [extra_illustrations.3.518.2] . Although in description this may appear a cumbrous mode of collecting votes, it is in practice remarkably expeditious and very precise; and it gives the members only the trouble of taking a short walk through the lobby--a far less tedious operation than any process of counting or registering within the House would prove to be. |
That, in spite of all the money that has been expended on the Palace, the ventilation of the new Houses of Parliament is far from satisfactory, may be gathered from the following extract from the :--
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The Speaker's House occupies part of the pavilions, if we may so term them, forming the north end of the river-front of the Palace, next , and is approached by archways from New . It is of considerable extent, comprising from to rooms, and is finished throughout in the style of the structure generally. The staircase, with its carvings, tile-paving, and brass-work, is exceedingly effective and elegant, and everywhere there is a large amount of painted and gilded decoration. Cloisters, approached from the House, surround a court, about feet square; the windowopenings in the cloisters are filled with stained glass, containing the arms of all the Speakers, with the date of their election. | |
The Speaker actually mentioned by that title in legal documents is Sir W. T. Hungerford, elected in , in the reign of Edward III. We meet with the old name and armorial bearings of a Waldegrave as Speaker as early as ; in , Sir John Tiptoft was elected, and he was the Speaker elevated to the peerage, being created by Henry IV. of Lancaster, in , Baron de Tiptoft, in return for certain which in those days meant a great deal. The Beauchamps are found as early as , while the Baynards of Castle Baynard, in the City, where kings once stayed, and where the Duke of Buckingham offered the crown to Richard III., are seen no more after . John Russell was Speaker in and . From this date the election of Speakers seems to have occurred with each meeting of Parliament about once a year, till the time of Queen Elizabeth, when that arbitrary sovereign refused to ratify the election of Sir John Popham; afterwards, the great. Edward Coke filled the chair. The year gives us the next name of great note-viz., William Lenthal, of Charles I.'s disordered Parliament--the man who refused to answer Charles's questions when he came to seize the members, and in that ill-advised act began the war in which he lost both crown and head. Sir Harbottle Grimston, chosen in the year , whose arms are surmounted with the bloody hand of the Ulster knights, was the Speaker whose election was never ratified by Charles II., though he still retained his Speakership. The haughty Edward Seymour, who used to speak of the Duke of Somerset as the younger branch of his family, followed the example of Sir Harbottle, though in a different way. Instead of asking Charles to ratify his election, which he knew the monarch never would do, he contented himself with announcing simply that he had been elected and was the | |
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Speaker--a statement which left no course open to the irritated king but to add sharply, in reply, The House that was summoned in , after the abdication of James II., elected its own Speaker, Henry Powle; this election, also, was never confirmed by William of Orange. Mr. Wyndham Grenville, also, was elected without the royal sanction, in the year , at a time when George III. was mentally incapable of attending to any business. |
The name and arms of Sir John Trevor are to .be seen in the Gothic windows, though Sir John was expelled the House for taking bribes. Of the whole Speakers only have been raised to the peerage-by the titles of Baron Tiptoft, Lord Hungerford, Lord Audley, Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, Lord Onslow, Earl of Wilmington, Lord Grantley, Lord Grenville, Viscount Sidmouth, Lord Redesdale, Lord Colchester, Viscount Canterbury, Lord Dunfermline, Viscount Eversley, and Viscount Ossington. | |
The Refreshment-rooms of the are the most luxurious apartments imaginable-the beautiful ceiling, the richly-carved doors, screens, and panelling, the fittings-up, the crimson and green paper-hangings, and the general decorations, being extremely striking and harmonious. The Refreshment-rooms are situated in the river-front of the Palace, behind the Lords' Library, and are approached from the House of Peers by the Bishops' Corridor, which communicates with the Victoria Lobby. These rooms are divided from each other by an elaborately-carved screen, or bar, at which the refreshments are served by means of lifts from the kitchens below; and every modern appliance in the management of the cuisine has been carefully studied. The rooms are lighted by windows on side only, which look into the Peers' Court; on the opposite side, the walls are panelled, and have fireplaces of rich and beautiful design, the stone chimney-pieces being highly decorated with bosses and foliage. | |
[extra_illustrations.3.519.1] , situated at the northern end of the building, and closely abutting on , is feet square, surmounted by a richly-decorated belfry spire, and rising to the height of about feet. The tower occupies as nearly as possible the site of the great clock-tower erected by Edward I. on the north side of New . That tower was built out of a fine imposed on a certain Chief Justice, who is said to have taken a bribe. At it contained only a bell, which summoned Parliament and the Courts of Law to their respective duties. In due time a clock was added, which, every time the bell told the hour reminded the judges and legislators below of the words on its face, Of this, the original clock-tower, we shall have more to say in our chapter on New . The clock of the present tower has dials, and was constructed under the direction of the Astronomer Royal, Sir G. B. Airy, K.C.B. It may be added that most of the wheels are of cast iron; the hands and their appendages weigh about a ton and a half, and the pendulum cwt. The dials are feet in diameter, or superficial feet each, and are said to have cost more than the clock itself. | |
The bell, which received the name of was cast in at Norton, near Stockton on-Tees, by Messrs. Warner, and weighed nearly tons, with a clapper of cwt. It bore the following inscription :-- On the waist or middle of the bell were the royal arms, and the names of the founders and patentees of the mode of casting which had been adopted for it, From the , the fates seemed to be against the success of this bell, for on the voyage up to it was tossed about for several days at sea, and at the very starting stood a narrow chance of sending the vessel containing it to the bottom of the ocean. Arrived at , found temporary shelter at the foot of the clock-tower, within hoarding and tarpaulin, and under a huge pair of cat-gallows; and here its sonorous tone was tested before it was finally hoisted to its lofty destination. Whatever may have been the opinion formed of its tone and quality at the trials to which it was subjected, certain it is that it had hung but a few months before it gave strong evidence of being cracked. Its real state was at once investigated by Dr. Percy, who reported that it was Its doom was thus sealed. was forthwith brought to the hammer, broken up and done for, and a new bell was at once cast in the foundry of Messrs. Mears, in Whitechapel. About this new bell there is no mistake. It is simply perfect as a casting in shape and in tone--the latter being E, which the late was intended to produce but which good intention was entirely frustrated by an undue thickness of metal in the waist of the monster. Of the former it is not | |
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necessary to say more than that his successor is formed of the same metal. Unlike his predecessor, however, the present occupant of the loftiest belfry in London is tastefully ornamented with Gothic figures and tracery in low relief. On side of his waist is the portcullis of ; on the other are the arms of England, sharp and clear, as if chased by the hand. Round the outer lip is cast in Gothic letters:
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This bell is estimated as being as nearly as possible tons, or about tons lighter than the old bell. But though its form is somewhat different, and though there is less metal, its dimensions are the same as those of its predecessor. The head is more rounded, and the waist more sloped in. The sound-bow, or the place on which the clapper strikes, is also a trifle less in thickness than that of the old bell. | |
The work of getting the new bell into position took several days. On the , it was placed upon its side upon a cradle, was run into the basement of the clock-tower, and placed under the shaft extending to the summit of the tower, up which it was afterwards hoisted by pulleys. The shaft is feet by feet; it is intended for the descent of the clock-weights. Its sides were lined with timber and friction-wheels, to guide the passage of the bell upwards. The chain used in lifting the bell was feet in length; it was made by Messrs. Crawshay, of Newcastle, and each link was separately tested. The beam on which the bell is hung is formed of oak and plates of iron, firmly bolted and riveted together, and it is fixed in the open lantern over the clock; it is inches wide by thick, and is capable of sustaining a weight of tons. Besides there are[extra_illustrations.3.520.2] upon which the quarters are chimed. | |
asks Townsend in his
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In closing this chapter, we cannot do better than quote the words of a writer in the , when describing the progress of the new building:--
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[extra_illustrations.3.523.2] , with a great part of the Speaker's official residence adjoining, occurred on the . Mr. Raikes thus comments on the fire, in his --:
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writer Dr. C. Mackay,
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The story of the burning of the Houses of Parliament has never been more truthfully or more comically told than by Charles Dickens, though we quote only from a humorous speech once made by him in Theate, when the establish ment of an Administrative Reform Association was publicly resolved upon, on account of the mismanagement of our army in the East. On that occasion he said:-- [extra_illustrations.3.522.1] | |
The table of the old , saved from the fire, is now in the office of the Board of Works, . It was, it seems, part of the fittings of the provided by Sir Christopher Wren, in . The existence of this relic is generally unknown, and it has not yet been figured in any notice of the . | |
After the fire of , the Houses of Parliament assembled in a temporary building, not unlike a barn, which was speedily run up, in order to accommodate the Imperial Legislature. | |
p.523 [extra_illustrations.3.523.1] [extra_illustrations.3.5232.] [extra_illustrations.3.523.3] | |
Footnotes: [extra_illustrations.3.504.1] Statues in Houses of Parliament [extra_illustrations.3.505.1] Grand Staircase--Speaker's Residence [extra_illustrations.3.505.2] Porch--Speaker's Residence [extra_illustrations.3.55.3] State Dining Room [extra_illustrations.3.505.4] The residence for the Speaker [extra_illustrations.3.505.5] The Royal or Victoria Tower [extra_illustrations.3.506.1] The royal entrance, beneath this tower [extra_illustrations.3.507.1] Queen Passing to House of Lords [extra_illustrations.3.507.2] Reading of Queen's Speech [extra_illustrations.3.507.3] a noble marble group, by Gibson of the Queen [extra_illustrations.3.507.4] The House of Lords [extra_illustrations.3.507.5] The first of these frescoes [extra_illustrations.3.507.6] Peer's Front [extra_illustrations.3.507.7] Lords Sitting as Court of Appeal [extra_illustrations.3.507.8] Queen Proroguing Parliament [extra_illustrations.3.507.9] Reading Peerage Passage at Bar at House of Lords [extra_illustrations.3.507.10] Prayer in House of Lords [extra_illustrations.3.508.1] Members Entrance, House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.508.2] Lower Waiting Hall, House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.508.3] central octagon hall [extra_illustrations.3.508.4] St. Stephen's Hall [extra_illustrations.3.508.5] Somers [extra_illustrations.3.508.6] Lord Mansfield [extra_illustrations.3.508.7] Chandelier and Panels, House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.508.9] Smoking Room, House of Commons [] The Lobby of the House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.508.10] corridor [extra_illustrations.3.509.1] House of Commons, February 13, 1893 [extra_illustrations.3.509.3] The Birmingham Four [extra_illustrations.3.509.4] Question Time, House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.509.2] The House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.510.1] Speaker John Evelyn Denison [extra_illustrations.3.510.2] corridors which give access to the Speaker's official residence [extra_illustrations.3.510.3] The ventilation of the House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.510.4] Ticket to Gallery of House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.513.1] Speaker taking Oaths [extra_illustrations.3.513.3] New Speaker--John Evelyn Denison [extra_illustrations.3.513.4] Sir Archibald Milman [extra_illustrations.3.513.5] Study at Home, House of Commons [extra_illustrations.3.513.6] signs the Parliamentary roll in duplicate [extra_illustrations.3.513.7] the Speaker in his robes enter, preceded by a gentleman with a bag-wig and a sword by his side, carrying on his shoulder a heavy gilt club [extra_illustrations.3.514.1] a person is brought to the bar [extra_illustrations.3.516.1] The division lobbies [extra_illustrations.3.518.2] tellers make up the figures, and, all four advancing to the table, one of those on the winning side in a loud voice declares the respective numbers [extra_illustrations.3.519.1] The clock-tower [extra_illustrations.3.520.2] four smaller bells [extra_illustrations.3.523.2] The destruction of the old Houses of Parliament [extra_illustrations.3.522.1] Passage from Westminster Hal to House of Commons, after the fire [extra_illustrations.3.523.1] Restoration of St. Stephen's Chapel [extra_illustrations.3.5232.] Ruins of Houses of Parliament [extra_illustrations.3.523.3] Ruins of St. Stephen's Chapel |