<P> In his speech opening Parliament in 1835, the King assured the members that the fire was accidental, and left it to Parliament itself to make "plans for (its) permanent accommodation ." Each house created a committee and a public debate over the proposed styles ensued . The neo-Classical approach, similar to that of the White House and the Federal Capitol in the United States, was popular at the time and had already been used by Soane in his additions to the old palace, but had connotations of revolution and republicanism, whereas Gothic design embodied conservative values . The committee in the House of Lords announced in June 1835 that "the style of the buildings should be either Gothic or Elizabethan". On 14 July 1835 a Royal Commission was appointed . The chairman was Charles Hanbury - Tracy and the other members were Edward Cust, Thomas Liddell, the poet Samuel Rogers and the artist George Vivian . The Commission accepted the recommendation of a competition, and architects began submitting proposals following some basic criteria . </P> <P> In February 1836, after studying 97 proposals, the Commission chose Charles Barry's plan for a Gothic - style palace, awarding him a prize (or "premium") of £ 1,500 . Premiums of £ 500 each were given to David Hamilton, J.C. Buckler and William Railton . The Architectural Magazine summarised Barry's winning plan as "a quadrangular pile, with the principal front facing the Thames, and a tower in the centre, 170ft high". Barry, whose own architectural style was more classical than Gothic, built the new palace upon the neo-classical principle of symmetry . Augustus Pugin was instrumental in helping Barry win the Commission . Pugin's contribution can be seen in the Gothic detail, the vanes and spires . Pugin also contributed greatly to the distinctive Gothic interiors, including wallpapers, carvings, stained glass, floor tiles, metalwork and furniture . </P> <P> In 1840 the foundation stone was laid by Charles' wife Sarah (née Rowsell); the Lords Chamber was completed in 1847, and the Commons Chamber in 1852 (at which point Barry received a knighthood). Although most of the work had been carried out by 1860, construction was not finished until a decade afterwards . </P> <P> With the building itself taking shape, it was time to think about its internal adornments . In a process overseen by a Royal Fine Art Commission under the presidency of Prince Albert, a Select Committee which included Sir Robert Peel started to take witness accounts from experts in 1841 . Those experts included Sir Martin Archer Shee, P.R.A., and Charles Lock Eastlake, painter and acknowledged authority on art history, soon to be first director of the National Gallery and de facto administrator of the whole Westminster decoration project . It was decided that the opportunity should be seized to encourage the development of a national British school of History Painting, and that the paintings should be done in fresco . </P>

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