Story: Public, commercial and church architecture

Houses of Parliament, London (2nd of 2)

Houses of Parliament, London

The Gothic revival style was epitomised by the Houses of Parliament in London. When Parliament was largely destroyed in a 1834 fire a royal commission determined it should be rebuilt in the Elizabethan or Gothic style – both of which were seen as embodying English values. The winning design was by the architect Charles Barry, with the assistance of Augustus Pugin. As with medieval Gothic architecture, the design had a vertical emphasis, with soaring turrets and steeply pitched roofs. Building began in the 1840s and was completed in the late 1860s. This image of the complex appeared in the Auckland Weekly News in February 1908. 

Using this item

Auckland City Libraries - Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: AWNS-19080213-13-1

Permission of Auckland City Libraries Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Ben Schrader, 'Public, commercial and church architecture - Revivalist architecture: 1830s to 1860', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/44750/houses-of-parliament-london (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Ben Schrader, published 22 Oct 2014