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History

Palace of Westminster

The new Palace of Westminster was built in the years following the fire of 16 October 1834 which destroyed nearly all the Old Palace. Work began in 1840 and was substantially completed by 1860, although only in 1870 actually finished. It was formally opened in 1852.

The origins of the Old Palace can be traced to the middle of the 11th century. The Palace was the principal residence of the kings of England until 1512 when the building was damaged by fire. During the Middle Ages, it was often not possible to accommodate the whole of Parliament within the Palace and the House of Commons did not have a permanent meeting place of their own before 1547. Edward VI handed over the royal Chapel of St Stephen in the Palace of Westminster to the Commons for their use in 1547. The Commons assembled here until the fire of 1834.

Westminster Hall is the oldest remaining part of the Palace, which was built between 1097 and 1099 by William Rufus. The Hall has been altered over the centuries and its famous hammer-beam roof was built between 1394 and 1399. The Hall is now used for major public ceremonies. Other buildings to survive are the Crypt of St Mary Undercroft (built between 1292 and 1297) and the Jewel Tower on Abingdon Street (administered by English Heritage).

The New Palace was designed by the architect Sir Charles Barry who won a public competition. Barry was assisted by Augustus Welby Pugin.

Clock Tower (Big Ben)

The Clock tower is 96.3m (316 ft) tall and weighs 13.8 tonnes. Big Ben is the name of the bell. There are two theories of how the bell got its name. The first suggests that it was taken from the nickname of a champion heavyweight boxer of the time called Ben Caunt. The second and more probable explanation is that it was named after the bulky Welshman Sir Benjamin Hall, who was First Commissioner of Works from 1855 to 1858 and whose name was inscribed on the bell.

Commons Chamber

On 10 May 1941, the Commons Chamber was destroyed by bombs and a subsequent fire. It was rebuilt after the war by the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

The Gunpowder Plot

The Gunpowder Plot is the name given to the conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5 November 1605, which was discovered the night before. The origins of the plot remain unclear and it is doubtful that the truth will ever be known. Generations of historians accepted it was an attempt to re-establish the Catholic religion. Others, in more recent times, have suspected that the plot was the work of a group of agents-provocateurs, anxious to discredit the Jesuits and reinforce the ascendancy of the Protestant religion.

The plot centred around five conspirators, Robert Catesby, Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, John Wright and Guy (or Guido) Fawkes, later joined by Robert Keyes, who determined to blow up of the House of Lords in 1605. The detonation was to take place on State Opening day, when the King, Lords and Commons would all be present in the Lords Chamber.

There is no doubt that Fawkes, though remembered wrongly as the principal conspirator, was in fact a minor cog in the wheel. Born in 1570 at York, he was brought up as a Protestant. In 1593, he enlisted as a mercenary in the Spanish Army in the Netherlands - he became a Catholic shortly before that date. He was at the capture of Calais in 1595, where he apparently distinguished himself greatly. He may have been chosen for his skills when it was planned to tunnel under the House, and it was an advantage that, having been abroad for some time, he was not known in London.

The plot was discovered, in the official version, through an anonymous letter to Lord Monteagle, a Catholic, warning him not to attend the State Opening. Whether the letter was genuine or a forgery is uncertain. In any event, on the 4th of November an initial search was made of Parliament (initially, it is said by Monteagle and the Lord Chamberlain, Suffolk). The cellar was thoroughly searched at midnight and Fawkes found with the gunpowder. He was then arrested.

All the co-conspirators (except Robert Winter) were killed or arrested by 12 November and taken to the Tower of London. They were probably subjected to extensive torture which formed part of the punishment for treason at the time. Fawkes and the conspirators who remained alive, were tried for high treason in Westminster Hall on 27 January 1606 and all were convicted and sentenced to death. The executions took place on 30th and 31st January (Fawkes was executed on 31st) and included hanging, drawing and quartering. The heads and other portions of the conspirator's bodies were set up at various points around Westminster and London.

The fifth of November is variously called 'Firework Night', 'Bonfire Night' or 'Guy Fawkes Day'. An Act of Parliament (3 James I, cap 1) was passed to appoint 5th November in each year as a day of thanksgiving for 'the joyful day of deliverance'. The Act remained in force until 1859. It is still the custom for Britain on, or around, 5th November to let off fireworks and children to make guys - effigies supposedly of Fawkes. Institutions and towns may hold firework displays and bonfire parties, and the same is done, on a smaller scale in back gardens throughout the country. The year 2005 marks the 400th anniversary of the plot; an exhibition The Gunpowder Plot: Parliament and Treason will be held in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster between July and November 2005.

The Houses of Parliament are still searched by the Yeomen of the Guard just before the State Opening (usually held in November since 1928) to ensure no latter-day Fawkes is concealed in the cellars, though this is retained as a picturesque custom rather than a serious anti-terrorist precaution (for which, of course, there are proper means).

The cellar where the gunpowder had been stored was destroyed in the fire of 1834 that devastated the mediaeval Houses of Parliament. The lantern Guy Fawkes carried in 1605 is in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.