Mid-Victorian Masterpiece - The Story of an Institution Unable to put Its Own House in Order

The New Palace of Westminster stands today as London's most widely recognised landmark. Begun in the reign of William IV, and built to the plans of Sir Charles Barry, it was not completed until 1870, when it was fairly regarded as a masterpiece of mid-Victorian architecture. Few, however, would guess at the wry history that lies within its walls; a history of construction and subsequent desecration which the members of the `mother of parliaments' have, with their own special skill or folly, stage-managed throughout the years. As a tale of missed opportunities, incompetence and bumbledom, this story stands as a classic...