The ruins of the House of Commons following the fire of 1834

This watercolour by an unknown artist shows the devastation left by the fire of 16 October 1834 which swept through the Palace of Westminster, destroying many of its buildings. Westminster Hall, the Jewel Tower, the Undercroft Chapel, the Cloisters and the Chapterhouse House of St Stephen’s Chapel and Westminster Hall were the only buildings to survive. It ranks as one of the largest fires in London together with the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz in 1940. It was started by workmen burning wooden tally sticks in on-site furnaces which got out of control.

This scene illustrates the aftermath of the fire, in contrast to the famous paintings of Turner which captured the blaze as it happened during the night. Many artists including George Scharf and John Archer Wykeham drew a series of sketches to record the ruined buildings. Here the watercolour shows St Stephen’s Chapel looking southerly highlighting the burnt out roof and interior. The Fire had become a spectacle for Londoners shown by the number of figures viewing the work carried out to remove rubble from the building. It is likely that this drawing was produced by an artist on the spot recording what he saw.