Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)

designed 1836; built 1840–c. 1870

Architecture, Perpendicular Gothic style. Westminster, London

After the fire of 1834, Parliament was rebuilt as a vast complex on the Thames, keeping the surviving medieval Westminster Hall. Its towers and river front became a symbol of Britain itself.

A commission of 1835 required a Gothic or Elizabethan design; Barry's entry won the 1836 competition from 97 entries.
Look at the river front: rows of narrow vertical panels and pinnacles in late medieval style, with the clock tower at one end.
Barry was the architect; Pugin designed the Gothic detailing and interiors, down to furniture and small metalwork.
The Gothic requirement tied the nation's government to its medieval past rather than to the Greek and Roman models usual for public buildings. Romantic interest in history became a national style.
The Lords first sat in their new chamber in 1847 and the Commons in 1852; E. M. Barry finished the work about 1870.

Gothic Revival: The reuse of medieval Gothic forms, such as pointed arches and pinnacles, in buildings of the 1700s and 1800s.

Image: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0