ABSTRACT
The precise date of the photograph is uncertain, but it was probably taken during the First World War. If so, the building had stood complete for less than 50 years. Imagine if one of the taxis captured on camera carried an improbably elderly passenger in her late 80s. The hall runs parallel with the spine of the replacement building. The two houses of parliament are at either end: lords to the right, commoners to the left. This arrangement was the brainchild of Charles Barry. Denials of access are manifest in other ways. Gaining physical admission to the Parliamentary Archives, for example, does not guarantee entry to the records therein. Researchers consulting its catalogue are informed that ‘where files contain sensitive information about security or access to the Parliamentary Estate or plans of the buildings, access is restricted for security reasons’.
