TURNER, Joseph Mallord William
(b. 1775, London, d. 1851, Chelsea)

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16, 1834

1834-35
Oil on canvas, 92 x 123 cm
Museum of Art, Philadelphia

Burning of Parliament is the popular name for the fire which destroyed the Palace of Westminster, the home of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, on 16 October 1834. The blaze, which started from overheated chimney flues, spread rapidly throughout the medieval complex and developed into the biggest conflagration to occur in London since the Great Fire of 1666, attracting massive crowds. The fire lasted for many hours and gutted most of the Palace. Westminster Hall and a few other parts of the old Houses of Parliament survived the blaze and were incorporated into the New Palace of Westminster, which was built in the Gothic style over the following decades.