Houses of Parliament History, Art, Architecture

London: Merrell Publishers. New in New dust jacket. 2003. Hardcover. 1858941121 . B & W and Color; 10 1/4 x11 3/4 x 1 1/2; 288 pages; Hardcover and DJ are sealed in publisher's shrinkwrap. Illustrated with color and b/w pictures. This authoritative and fully illustrated book is the first to be devoted to the Houses of Parliament - also known as the Palace of Westminster - for over twenty years, offering new insight into Britain's most famous and celebrated symbol of state. Spanning the medieval period to the present day, The Houses of Parliament: History, Art, Architecture is a fresh, innovative study of this complex Victorian building, placing it within a broad historical, political, and cultural context. 16 authors, all well-known experts in their fields, consider far-ranging and often unfamiliar aspects of the palace and its relationship with neighboring Westminster Abbey, from its eleventh-century origins through to the extensive reconstruction of the House of Commons following bomb damage in the Second World War. Key events in the palace's history are brought vividly to life: the high pageantry and low comedy of George IV's Gothic Revival coronation; the original medieval buildings' destruction by fire in 1834; and the subsequent - and controversial - rebuilding by the decorative and design geniuses Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, resulting in the iconic monument so well known today. The romantic medievalism of the Victorian period, integral to the style of the new palace, is fully contextualized, with reference to the novels of Sir Walter Scott and the revival of interest in the tragic medieval king Richard II, whose magnificent Westminster Hall remains at the heart of the palace. The absorbing narrative is complemented by impressions of the palace by such artists as Turner and Monet, newly commissioned photography, and rarely seen archival material, revealing the richly ornamented interiors, the art, and the architecture, and how they relate to the constantly evolving political institutions and state rituals that are housed or enacted within the palace. With a preface by the Rt Hon. Betty Boothroyd MP, former Speaker of the House of Commons, this fascinating account offers fresh perspectives on this monumental edifice, which occupies what has been the site of British authority since the eleventh century. Very heavy/oversized, 5#. Bibliography; notes; index. .