............the artist JWM Turner sketched the fire that was burning down the houses of Parliament.
Along with thousands of others standing on the south shore of the Thames he watched and sketched and later painted two different paintings.
The Houses of Parliament website tells the story of the fire............
The Great Fire of 1834
In 1834, the Exchequer was faced with the problem of disposing two cart-loads of wooden tally sticks. These were remnants of an obsolete accounting system that had not been used since 1826. When asked to burn them, the Clerk of Works thought that the two underfloor stoves in the basement of the House of Lords would be a safe and proper place to do so.
Parliament on fire in 1834On 16 October, a couple of workmen arrived in the morning to carry out his instructions. During the afternoon, a party of visitors to the House of Lords, conducted by the deputy housekeeper Mrs Wright, became puzzled by the heat of the floor, and by the smoke seeping through it. But the workmen insisted on finishing their job. The furnaces were put out by 5pm, and Mrs Wright, no longer worried, locked up the premises.
Fire!
At 6pm, Mrs Wright heard the terrified wife of a doorkeeper screaming that the House of Lords was on fire. In no time, the flames had spread to the rest of the Palace. It was a great sight for the crowds on the streets (who were kept back by soldiers) and a great opportunity for artists such as J.M.W. Turner who painted several canvases depicting it.
Both Houses of Parliament were destroyed along with most of the other buildings on the site. Westminster Hall was saved largely due to heroic fire fighting efforts, and a change in the direction of the wind during the night. The only other parts of the Palace to survive were the Jewel Tower, the Undercroft Chapel, the Cloisters and Chapter House of St Stephen's and Westminster Hall.
I've got a couple of books full of "what happened on this day in the past" so I might use more when I'm short of ideas.
Poor Mrs Wright - she was worried by smoke and the heat of the floor, but nobody paid any attention to her. She was just a woman...
ReplyDeleteWorkmen still like to be right!
DeleteMost interesting. Women have always been ignored . . .
ReplyDeleteA new story to me .
DeleteThat's a very evocative painting. Having had a small kitchen fire in our family house when I was a child and seeing the damage just that small fire did, the absolute carnage of a major fire must be absolutely awful.
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful I've not been involved with a fire except a chimney. Luckily that didn't make a mess - just had to have a new flue
DeleteI did not know that. Very interesting. I’ve seen and liked Turner’s paintings but not that one. He was a character. He took a boat on the Thames to avoid being counted in a census. Jean in Winnipeg.
ReplyDeleteIt was a new story to me too
DeleteVery interesting, TQ
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales
Might be handy for a quiz answer one day!
DeleteI didn't know about this, Sue. We had our Great Chicago Fire which has been talked about for years and years.
ReplyDeleteI shall investigate the Chicago fire
DeleteWhat an amazing story and painting-you can almost feel the heat! Catriona
ReplyDeleteSomething I knew nothing about until I read it in my book for the 16th
DeleteI was not aware of the history of the devastating fire. Fascinating read.
ReplyDeleteThe painting shows the enormous blaze.
Fire brigades were certainly much less equipped to deal with such a blaze in 1800's.
Must have been terrifying for people around. They would have only had buckets and a small hand operated pump.
DeleteAm I the only one thinking it might be a good think to do with the place today?
ReplyDeleteProbably not!
DeleteVery interesting story about the Fire of 1834 and a striking painting by Turner. I visited the UK Parliament and the Speaker’s House a year ago and remember a bit about the fire. I was lucky to meet Sir Lindsay Hoyle and liked him.
ReplyDeleteTurner was amazing at painting skies
ReplyDeleteHe certainly was
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