From the archive: ‘A tale of decay’: the Houses of Parliament are falling down

The Audio Long Read

The Guardian

Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 8 June 2022

⏱️ 37 minutes

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Summary

We are raiding the Audio Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2017: As politicians dither over repairs, the risk of fire, flood or a deluge of sewage only increases. But fixing the Palace of Westminster might change British politics for good – which is the last thing many of its residents want. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Guardian.
0:10.4	My name is Charlotte Higgins. I'm the chief culture writer of the Guardian.
0:14.8	And today I am introducing you to my article, A Tale of Decay,
0:20.4	the Houses of Parliament, are falling down.
0:24.0	I researched this piece for quite a lot of the second half of 2017.
0:28.2	And honestly, it was one of the most interesting experiences I've had in my life as a journalist.
0:33.8	I was looking at how dangerous and how desperate and dire need of restoration
0:40.0	the houses of Parliament were.
0:41.8	And there was about to be a vote in Parliament on a bill to get a renovation programme
0:48.0	going for the houses of Parliament to hugely expensive renovation programme.
0:53.0	And so the research for the piece involved,
0:56.0	spending a huge amount of time in the houses of Parliament, which is an extraordinary privilege.
0:59.8	And unless you work there as an MP or a member of staff,
1:03.6	that's just not something that you ever get to do.
1:05.8	But I got to go to all sorts of knocks and crannies in the palace
1:11.0	that nobody normally gets to see.
1:13.6	So not just the grand lobby.
1:16.2	I went above the grand lobby into this huge domed locked space
1:20.6	that you access through a sort of hidden door in the central lobby.
1:24.2	I went into the bowels of the houses of Parliament, into the basement,
1:28.0	where all the electrics are, into these dark hot tunnels,
1:32.2	full of pipes and drips and the enormous metal containers
	...

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