The Portland daily press., 1885-01-26
IVES FSIINsEEg PALACE.
Description of the Magnificent BuiIdings
OccUpied by Parliament.

The House of Parliament, or the new palace of
Westminster are on the left bank of the Thames,
and are between tho river and Westminster Abbey,
occupying the site of the old palace which was
destroyed by fire October 16, 1884. They cover an
area of eight acres, and contain 100 apartments,
100 staircases and two miles of corridors. The
foundationst stone was laid April 27, 1S40. The
House of Lords, 1U0 feet long and sorty.fye feet
wide and forty five feet high was opened in April
1S47, and is of the most gorgeous legislative
halls in the world. 1t contains the throne for the
sovereign chair for the Prince of Wales, and the
famous woolsack in the centre for the lord chan.
celor. Facing the throne is the reporters gallery
ana over the latter is the strangers gallery. At
either end of the chamber are three compai tpents
covered by fine frescoes executed by Dyee, Horsley
and Maclise. In the windows, which are filled
with stained glass and lighted at night from the
between these windows and at either end OF tue
chamber contain statues of the barons who com
PEELED King John to grant Magma Charta. The
entrance for the queen is at the Victoria tower; her
robing room is by from which she masses
through Victoria gallery, magnificent chamber
100 feet long, thence to the priGce's chamber and
from thence TO the throne. Since the ganlo I'd er
plot of 1905, under the Hovse the cellar is ALWAYS
examined two hours before the arrival of tine
sovereign.
The House of Commons, Of the same width and
height orty-iye feet) and sixty feet long is more
PLAN 2ud austere in its decorations. IG occupies
the site of St. Stephens Hail. its former chsmber
This was opened February, 1852. This was also
htted up with galleries. The royal Victoria
angle 1.-THE southwest angle of the palace) 75 feet
square and $40 feet high. was huished in 1857,
and is a grand piece OF work. The central saire
800 feet high and 90 feet i'll diameter rises a b
the grand central octsgonsl hall, and admirAt'e
grained stone vault, anu is supported without a
single pillar The clock tower Delfry, forty feet
square and over 800 feet high, abuts on West
minister bridge, the palace clock showing the time
on tour dias thirty feet in diameter while those Of
81. PauPs are only eighteen feet The great
Stephen bell cast in 1858, weighs over 10000
pounds, but is defective, like It's monstrous pre-
decessor, big Ben." The root is finely decorated
and its subordinate towers enhance the general
picturesqueness OF the effect. At the Westminster
bridge end of the edce the rooms of the speak
or and sergeant-atarms, and at the Vauxhal bridge
end those of the usher of the Black Rod and OF
the librarian of the House of Lords The upper
floors accommodate parliamentary committees.
The cloister court. grdled by a richly-gruined
cloister with floors is one of the masterpieces
of tile palace though it is chiefly restoration
Westminster Hall, 290 feet long 110 feet high
and 6o feet wide aud despite its size unsupported
by pillars occupies the site of the old hall of the
Royal Palace, where some of the early parliaments
were held, and which abounded in historical asso-
Citations and trophies. The highest law courts Of
England, established under Henry ILL.,, are held in
the renovated hail. small staircase leads from
the east corner of the hall into q restored crypt
St. Stephens, beneath the modern st. Stephen