Obscure Book of The Day: The Pictorial History of the Houses of Parliament

Here’s another little Pitkin Guide, this one entitled, “The Pictorial History of the Houses of Parliament: The Palace of Westminster.” I can tell by the text about the “recent” lying-in-state of King George V, King George VI and Queen Mary, that this guide was published around the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Like the other Pitkin Guides produced in the “Pride of Britain” series, this one includes beautiful photos—both color and black and white—and crisp text describing the history and significance of each location. In this case, the copy was written by The Viscount Craigavon. I don’t know who he was, but he had a nifty title.

Let’s take a look inside.

Unusual Artifacts: A Floor Tile from the Palace of Westminster, 1847 – 1850

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This beautifully-colored encaustic tiles (meaning tiles with decoration of contrasting-colored clay inlaid into their surface) were mass-produced starting in the mid-Nineteenth Century. The firm of Minton & Co.—the producer of this tile between 1847 and 1850--was one of the major manufacturers.

This tile with its fleur-de-lis pattern in heraldic colors was made for the new Palace of Westminster. London’s old Palace of Westminster was almost completely destroyed by a horrendous fire in 1834. As plans to rebuild were underway, a competition was held to design a suitable new building for the official seat of Parliament. Charles Barry (1795-1860), with the assistance of A.W.N. Pugin, won the competition with his Gothic Revival design. Construction began in 1840. Each and every detail was carefully considered—even down to the intricately patterned floor tiles.

This example is one of a surplus that was not used in the building and was given to the Victoria & Albert Museum.