Caroline Babington, one of our Conservation Managers for the Parliamentary Art Collection, was a finalist in the Architectural Technology category for the Women in Construction and Engineering Awards 2023.  Caroline works across a variety of artistic media to ensure works in the collection are kept safe for future generations. The finalist selection recognises her expertise […]

Two tapestries by artist Christine Sawyer are now on display in the lobby of Millbank House. Created in 2001 as part of the decorative scheme for the building, they celebrate British wildlife and are inspired by the artist’s experiences exploring the coast and countryside of the British Isles. Millbank House Collection Millbank House is part […]

We have discovered intriguing new details about two historic items of furniture in our collection following their conservation. The library porters’ chairs that sit outside the Commons’ Library, marked by their tall backrests, are significantly older than first thought. The chairs were initially believed to be early 1900s, largely because of the date of their […]

A new film captures artist Colin Davidson creating his portrait of John Hume for the Parliamentary Art Collection.   In 2021, the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art commissioned a portrait of John Hume, the Nobel Peace Prize winning Northern Irish politician.  Celebrated artist Colin Davidson completed his work of art in 2022, and it […]

Wednesday 03 May 2023 at 6pm – Join us via Teams Live. Book your free ticket.  This free online talk will explore the coronation ceremony and its strong historical links to Parliament. We’ll look at three important objects from the Parliamentary collections to understand each item’s significance to the ceremony.  About our speakers  Dr Eloise […]

The first major catalogue of the Parliamentary Art Collection is now online: available via the website Archive.org. ‘A Catalogue of paintings, drawings, engravings, and sculpture in The Palace of Westminster’ was compiled by curator Richard B. Walker between 1959 to 1977. It comprises several volumes. As he produced this vast catalogue, Richard Walker worked both […]

Have you heard of a quinquennial?  It’s a Latin term meaning ‘happening every five years’. We undertake a vast survey of all the wall paintings in the Palace of Westminster every five years, most recently in February 2023, and we call it the quinquennial. Specialist wall painting conservators conduct detailed inspections of the large-scale wall […]

27 March 2023, 6pm – join us via Teams Live. Book your free ticket. This year is the 10th annual Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art Women’s History Lecture. We will celebrate the newly acquired portrait of Millicent Garrett Fawcett by Annie Louisa Swynnerton, which now has a permanent public home at UK Parliament. […]

On Monday 13th February, the Furniture History Society visited the Houses of Parliament for a tour. Heritage Collections had the pleasure of hosting them.  The Society was founded in 1964.  Its aim is to “study furniture of all periods, places and kinds, to increase knowledge and appreciation of it, and to assist in the preservation […]

A portrait of Baroness Benjamin is now on display in the House of Lords, on loan to the House through the Lord Speaker’s Advisory Panel on Works of Art. The painting, by leading portraitist June Mendoza, is on display in the Cholmondeley Room for Peers, staff, and guests to view. It is the first portrait […]

A new temporary display in Portcullis House showcases new acquisitions to the Parliamentary Art Collection made by the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art in 2022.  The Committee oversees purchases, donations, and commissions to the permanent Parliamentary Art Collection in the House of Commons and advises on the use and management of the Collection. […]