Collections in the Parliamentary Archives relating to the Palace of Westminster
• The Architectural Archive (ARC) - The architectural archive is a centralised source
of documents relating to the building and fabric of the Palace of Westminster. It
contains copies of original documents (plans, drawings, reports and other papers) held
at various institutions in England. Institutions from which the copies were taken from
include: The Public Record Office; The British Library; Birmingham City Archives;
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery; the Museum of London; the Royal Academy
of Arts; RIBA; the Society of Antiquaries; the Sir John Soane Museum; the Victoria
and Albert Museum and Westminster City Library. There are also copies of some
documents held in other departments of Parliament, such as the House of Commons
Library and the Works of Art department.
• The Ballantine Drawings (BAD) - Designs for the windows of the House of Lords
Chamber by Messrs. Ballantine & Allen, submitted to the Royal Commission of Fine
Arts in 1844. These drawings were created as a result of a desire to have stained glass
designs in the windows of the new House of Lords. The designers hoped '…with strict
attention to character and costume, it might be practicable in the windows of the
House of Lords to give an abridged pictorial history of Great Britain, wherein might
be traced the progress of the national mind, through all its various stages, from the
earliest period of which we have authentic record, until the present time. With this
view, the History of Britain has been divided into twelve great cycles. The Kings,
Queens and leading personages connected with the principal events in each distinct
period are represented...' Ballantine and Allen were stained glass manufacturers based
in Edinburgh. They founded their firm in 1837 and were part of the gothic revival in
architecture and design in the nineteenth century. James Ballantine (1808-1877) was
recommended by the Fine Arts Commission to design and make the win