The Palace of Westminster, The Queen’s Throne, The House of Lords, London.
The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. As such the building is commonly referred to as ‘The Houses of Parliament’. The current Palace was designed by the architect Sir Charles Barry after an earlier building was ravaged by fire in 1834.
The Queen’s Throne is where the Monarch sits during the State Opening of Parliament and from where she delivers her ‘Queen’s speech’ to mark the formal start of the parliamentary year. This speech, written by the government, outlines their forthcoming agenda and legislative proposals. It is the only regular occasion when the three constituent parts of Parliament – the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons – meet.
The Queen’s Throne, The House of Lords
The Queen’s Throne in the House of Lords is used during the State Opening of Parliament.
Humphries Weaving undertook the fabric restoration of the Queen’s throne in the House of Lords, using crimson hand cut velvet.
As the velvet is made by hand, every line must be delicately woven and carefully cut. A whole day of hand weaving can result in as little as 1 metre of fabric being produced and is therefore only commissioned for most prestigious projects.
Hand cut velvet is usually desired over machine cut because no pile is created, resulting in increased lustor and the highly luxurious finish.
Project reference: 452
To read about the fabric we supplied The Lord Chancellors Apartments click here.