The Palace of Westminster is falling down

It is from this reconstruction that the building’s inner workings date: a vast network of sewage, heating and wiring systems that were projected to reach the end of their life in the 1980s.

Over time, the estate has expanded. The Norman Shaw buildings were added in the 1970s and Portcullis House in 2001. A site that hosted some 1,000 workers in 1945 is now the workplace of around 3,000 researchers, office managers, clerks, librarians, security guards, catering staff and cleaners.