"A palace within a Palace": the Speaker's House at Westminster, 1794–1834

The thesis provides the first detailed study of the original Speaker’s House within the Palace of Westminster. In 1794, the Speaker of the House of Commons appropriated a large mansion which stood immediately adjacent to the Commons chamber. During 1802–08 the house was extensively remodelled by James Wyatt. It remained the official residence of the Speaker until 1834, when the old Palace of Westminster was effectively destroyed by fire.

This interdisciplinary thesis will explore the history of the house from both political and architectural perspectives. It will examine how successive Speakers used the house to support their political role, with particular emphasis on its vital part in their hospitality and sociability, both official and unofficial. It will also explain how successive Speakers used the increased prestige of their office to support their personal ambitions for social advancement. It argues that the Speaker’s House helped the Speaker to consolidate their position as the symbolic figurehead of the House of Commons.

Architecturally, this thesis will concentrate on Wyatt’s decision—which was fully embraced by his patron, Speaker Abbot—to adopt a Gothic style for his alterations. It will consider the reasons for his choice, and the long-term impact of his work. It will also consider the Speaker’s House in relation to contemporary debates about architectural conservation, for which the Palace of Westminster was a significant flashpoint. This thesis presents the Speaker’s House as a case study of changing attitudes to architectural style and conservation in early nineteenth-century Britain. It argues that Wyatt’s interventions changed the architectural destiny of the old palace, creating a newfound sense that Gothic was the ‘proper’ style both for the Palace of Westminster as a complex of buildings, and for Parliament as an institution. This newfound sensibility ultimately determined the design of the present Palace of Westminster.