The Palace of Westminster
In 1843 a fire destroyed much of the old Palace of Westminster, the British parliament building. It was decided that the new buildings should be built in the Gothic Revival style which was considered particularly British and thus appropriate for the nation's parliament. The buildings and interiors of the new Palace of Westminster, constructed between 1837 and 1867, were designed by Charles Barry. His assistant A. W.N. Pugin provided much of the Gothic detail. It is the largest, and most dramatic, Gothic revival building in the world.