Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection

Parliament's collection of 11,000 items of historic furniture, clocks, ceramics and silver are of international significance. Nearly two thirds of the collection was designed by Augustus Pugin, who created the original interior of the building. Much of the rest was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott when he was asked to rebuild and furnish the bombed areas of the House of Commons after the Second World War.

There are many unique objects in the collection such as the Monarch’s Throne in the Lords Chamber and House of Lords Clerk’s Table. A conference table designed by Gilbert Scott for the Prime Minister’s study in 1950 has a ribbon of triangles of 259 different types of wood around its edge, each donated by a member of the Commonwealth at that time. Other items, such as a table in the Speaker’s House, are important because they pre-date the fire which destroyed much of the medieval Palace of Westminster in 1834.

Parliamentary Art Collection

The Parliamentary Art Collection is the national collection documenting the history, work and people of Parliament and it comprises over 9,000 objects, such as sculpture, wall paintings, oil paintings and works on paper and textiles. Among the most famous pictures are the monumental water-glass paintings by Daniel Maclise in the Royal Gallery commemorating the Battle of Waterloo and the Death of Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.

As well as curating Victorian works of art, Parliament also commissions contemporary work. Above the entrance to St Stephen’s Hall is New Dawn by Mary Branson (2018), a site-specific contemporary glass and light installation, which was the first abstract contemporary artwork to be installed in the historic Palace. New Dawn commemorates the long campaign that led to some women gaining the vote in 1918, and all women in 1928.

Architectural Fabric Collection

The Architectural Fabric Collection numbers more than 5000 items designed for the Palace’s rich interiors and exterior. Now detached from the building, these include architectural stone details, metalwork, woodwork, floor-tile design, panelling, fabrics, and wallpaper.

When the Palace was built in the mid-1800s, Augustus Pugin was appointed Superintendent of the Works of Wood Carving, responsible for all the designs for wood, stained glass, tiles and metalwork. The richly decorated rooms on the Principal Floor best illustrate his enthusiasm for Gothic Revival design. Further decoration was added later by Charles Barry’s son, Edward, after his father’s death. Gilbert Scott continued the Gothic Revival theme in his interiors after the Second World War.

One of the most ubiquitous examples of architectural fabric are the Pugin-designed encaustic tiles. These often incorporate symbols like the Tudor Rose, the Fleur de Lis and the Portcullis and were laid throughout the Palace between 1847 and 1852. Many of the tiles that can be seen in the Principal Floor of the Palace today are 20th century replicas, with the worn originals archived in the Architectural Fabric Collection.

Libraries and Archives

The Parliamentary Archives collects, preserves and makes publicly accessible the records of UK Parliament, which are housed in the Victoria Tower and currently being moved to The National Archives in Kew by the Archives Relocation Programme. The House of Lords Library and House of Commons Library provide research and information services to members and their staff, including many books of historic value among their resources.