On 16 October, 1834, a huge fireball had exploded through the roof of the Houses of Parliament, and the building was quickly burning down.

Earlier that day, workmen had been told to dispose of two large cart-loads of wooden sticks, by putting them into the furnaces beneath the House of Lords. 

These sticks – called tally sticks – had been an ancient form of receipt for government income. As they were no longer used, the Clerk of Works at the Houses of Parliament ordered them to be destroyed. The furnaces burned incredibly hot with so much fuel being fed into them, and this eventually led to the floor of the House of Lords catching fire.

On the afternoon of the fire, the Housekeeper and the Clerk of Works at the Palace of Westminster had noticed excess smoke and heat from the furnaces, but did not put them out. Later that evening, a doorkeeper’s wife raised the alarm that a fire had taken hold. The Palace was evacuated, and shortly afterwards, it exploded into flames.

Parish fire engines, insurance companies and the private London Fire Engine Establishment fought the fire. Hundreds of volunteers helped, including MPs and Peers. Those who staffed the water pumps on the night, which was a very physical labour, were given beer tokens for their efforts

Fire details provided by https://heritagecollections.parliament.uk/stories/the-fire-of-1834/#:~:text=In%201834%20a%20huge%20fire,a%20new%20building%20was%20needed. [accessed 11.01.2025]. 

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