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  • London, England, United Kingdom
    Thursday Oct 16, 1834
    The palace of Westminster England

    A Fire

    London, England, United Kingdom
    Thursday Oct 16, 1834

    On 16 October 1834, a fire broke out in the Palace after an overheated stove used to destroy the Exchequer's stockpile of tally sticks set fire to the House of Lords Chamber. In the resulting conflagration both Houses of Parliament were destroyed, along with most of the other buildings in the palace complex. Westminster Hall was saved thanks to fire-fighting efforts and a change in the direction of the wind. The Jewel Tower, the Undercroft Chapel and the Cloisters and Chapter House of St Stephen's were the only other parts of the Palace to survive.




  • London, England, United Kingdom
    Thursday Oct 16, 1834
    The palace of Westminster England

    Victoria Tower

    London, England, United Kingdom
    Thursday Oct 16, 1834

    The largest and tallest tower is 98.5-metre (323 ft) Victoria Tower, which occupies the south-western corner of the Palace. Originally named "The King's Tower" because the fire of 1834 which destroyed the old Palace of Westminster occurred during the reign of King William IV, the tower was an integral part of Barry's original design, of which he intended it to be the most memorable element. The architect conceived the great square tower as the keep of a legislative "castle" (echoing his selection of the portcullis as his identifying mark in the planning competition), and used it as the royal entrance to the Palace and as a fireproof repository for the archives of Parliament. Victoria Tower was re-designed several times, and its height increased progressively; upon its completion in 1858, it was the tallest secular building in the world.




  • London, England, United Kingdom
    Thursday Oct 16, 1834
    Buckingham Palace

    Destruction of the Palace of Westminster by fire

    London, England, United Kingdom
    Thursday Oct 16, 1834

    After the destruction of the Palace of Westminster by fire in 1834, William considered converting the palace into the new Houses of Parliament.




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