New website launched for Parliament’s Heritage Collections
5 October 2021
Parliament has launched a new website dedicated to its historic and important Collections, including the Parliamentary Art Collection, the Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection, and the Architectural Fabric Collection.
The new website includes a number of improvements such as enhanced navigation and useability as well as an improved search function - allowing users to source images of thousands of objects, find out more about Parliament’s rich history and view specially curated online exhibitions.
Searching the Collections
The new Search the Collections feature provides access to thousands of objects within Parliament’s collections. An object record page for each item provides high quality, zoomable images alongside details of the object. Users can search by keyword and can filter and sort results. Find the search feature in the menu bar.
Exploring the Collections
Visitors to the website are encouraged to explore the new interactive elements now available. Online exhibitions include a virtual visit to New Dawn, the site-specific light sculpture marking women’s suffrage, which was commissioned by the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art in 2016.
Users can also try the ‘Surprise me!’ feature to receive a choice of three random objects from Parliament’s collections. You can also find out more about how Parliament’s collections play an important role in how Parliament operates on a day-to-day basis in the ‘Heritage in use’ page.
Chair's comments
Chair of the Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art Dean Russell MP said:
“The Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art is committed to developing and raising awareness of Parliament’s internationally significant Collections. We are always looking for new ways to tell some of the fascinating stories that exist within the Parliamentary Art Collection, and the new website does just that. The Heritage Collections website is an important asset that will broaden the amount of people able to engage with our works of art – and improved navigation and search helping to make the Collections more accessible than ever.”
Further information
Image: view of Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament with a hay barge Painting by James Francis Danby © Parliamentary Art Collection WOA 5478