In the early evening of 16 October 1834, to the horror of bystanders, a huge ball of fire exploded through the roof of the Houses of Parliament, creating a blaze so enormous that it could be seen by the King and Queen at Windsor, and from stagecoaches on top of the South Downs. In front of hundreds of thousands of witnesses the great conflagration destroyed Parliament's glorious old buildings and their contents. No one who witnessed the disaster would ever forget it. The events of that October day in 1834 were as shocking and significant to contemporaries as the death of Princess Diana was to us at the end of the 20th century - yet today this national catastrophe is a forgotten disaster, not least because Barry and Pugin's monumental new Palace of Westminster has obliterated all memory of its 800 year-old predecessor. Rumours as to the fire's cause were rife. Was it arson, terrorism, the work of foreign operatives, a kitchen accident, careless builders, or even divine judgement on politicians? In this, the first full-length book on the subject, head Parliamentary Archivist Caroline Shenton unfolds the gripping story of the fire over the course of that fateful day and night. In the process, she paints a skilful portrait of the political and social context of the time, including details of the slums of Westminster and the frenzied expansion of the West End; the plight of the London Irish; child labour, sinecures and corruption in high places; fire-fighting techniques and floating engines; the Great Reform Act and the new Poor Law; Captain Swing and arson at York Minster; the parlous state of public buildings and records in the Georgian period; and above all the symbolism which many contemporaries saw in the spectacular fall of a national icon.

Splendid. The Victorian A glorious micro-history ... Shenton has a terrific eye for fine detail. Dan Jones, Daily Telegraph The best and most exciting and dramatic account of the burning building since Turner's paintings. Robert Tanitch, Mature Times This is a fascinating read and I commend it to colleagues in both Houses. Lord Cormack, House Magazine One of the many achievements of Shenton's scholarly but gripping account is to revive, in all its intricacy and richness, the ghost of one of London's greatest lost treasures. Rosemary Hill, The Guardian London's most legendary 19th century conflagration is vividly described in this book by Caroline Shenton ... This excellent social history is Shenton's first book. One hopes there will be many more, not least one about today's Houses of Parliament. Hannah Stephenson, Liverpool Post Anyone with even a passing interest in politics or London history will be engrossed by this thoroughly researched, well-written and admirably unsensationalised book. David Clack, Time Out Magazine Hour by hour she [Caroline Shenton] takes us through the fantastic build-up of the fire. You could have been there. Daily Mail The Day Parliament Burned Down is both a gripping account of that fateful night and a wide-ranging search for its ramifications across British society. Well written and extensively illustrated, this is a book that deserves attention. BBC History Magazine [Shenton's] book is deeply researched ... yet surprisingly gripping. Andrew Holgate, The Sunday Times Caroline Shenton's account of its history makes for a truly remarkable read. Charlotte Heathcote, Sunday Express Caroline Shenton, Clerk of the Records in the parliamentary archives, shows in her excellent book, even the wood shoved into the furnaces was the product of the stranglehold of inefficient tradition. Jonathan Sale, The Independent No one has written about the burning of Parliament before , and this vivid, superbly researched book is a definitive account of one of the greatest cockups in English history. Jane Ridley, Spectator The author, Clerk of the Records at Westminster, could not have been bettered as our guide to this exciting event. Peter Lewis, Daily Mail The detail Shenton provides is absolutely fascinating, such as the Dean of Westminster, who refused to move the Domesday Book to safety as he had not received the Prime Minister's permission. Each chapter is headed with the successive hour of the fire, creating a wonderfully detailed and gripping read. The Telegraph She has just the voice to narrate this tale, gripping the reader by the scruff as she describes the titanic struggle to save Westminster Hall and its stupendous hammerbeam roof She has written a wonderful first book. Lucy Inglis, The Georgian The events of October 1834 are told in an authoritative and entertaining way by our Parliamentary Archivist Caroline Shenton in The Day Parliament Burned Down. Keith Simpson, The House Magazine Caroline Shenton's writing style is a joy: She draws the reader in through the perspectives of numerous individuals, through clipped analysis and summation of contemporary written accounts, and with a hugely diverse range of sources, many of which are elegantly witty and tragical by turns ... This volume will appeal to historians, architectural historians, students of politics, social observers, and, unusually for histories, fans of a ripping yarn. Jane Sidell, The Historian

Caroline Shenton is Clerk of the Records at the Parliamentary Archives in London. She was previously a senior archivist at the National Archives and has worked in and around collections relating to the old Palace of Westminster for over twenty years. Educated at the University of St Andrews, Worcester College Oxford and University College London, she is a Fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Historical Society. This is her first book.