Home of British democracy rotting from within: Westminster's $6 billion restoration


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London: The Palace of Westminster, with its cinematic Big Ben clock, set beside the River Thames, is a survivor – of epic fire, German bombs, sulfuric smog and bad plumbing.


An eccentric masterwork of Victorian genius, its dual chambers for lords and commoners are the living, breathing heart of constitutional monarchy, the home of Parliament, and one of the most photographed buildings in the world.


Westminster is one of the most photographed buildings in the world, but rotting from the inside.

Westminster is one of the most photographed buildings in the world, but rotting from the inside.


Photo: Alamy

But Westminster is a wreck, its caretakers say.


The palace is not falling down. Not at all. Its bones, the superstructure, are solid enough, and carrying on, in British fashion, even if its dermis of Yorkshire limestone is spotty.


Rather, Westminster is rotting from the inside, its water and waste pipes sclerotic, its ventilation shafts congested, its neural networks – the communication, electric, fire systems – nearly shot.


Article source: https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/karratha-to-brisbane-flights-scheduled-to-begin-in-june-20180405-p4z7wy.html?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

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