Ladies Gallery
The Ladies Gallery of the House of Commons, behind a metal grille. The grilles were added in the reconstruction of the Commons following the 1834 fire, apparently to ensure that the Members of Parliament in the chamber were not distracted by the sight of women in the gallery. They became a symbol of women's exclusion not just from the Commons, but also the democratic process, and were the scene of a Suffragette protest in October 1908 when two protesters chained themselves to the grille. The grilles were removed following a vote in the House in August 1917 and are now to be found in the Central Lobby of the Palace of Westminster
Picture No
13989948
Media ID
45428037
Size
5503px x 3600px
(2.6MB)
Credit
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Source
Drawing by Max Cowper in Illustrated London News 10 March 1906
Date
1906
