5 most memorable and difficult

restorations in history

Palace of Westminster, England.

After a huge fire in 1834, the House of 

Parliament in London burned to the

ground. What followed was a long,

expensive and difficult restoration. The

Government held a competition in

which architects submitted designs. I

was announced that Charles Barry and

Augustus Pugin won, and their designs were accepted. The  building

 process was fraught with difficulties though and neither designer 

lived to see their design completed. The Palace stands on the banks

of the river Thames and is a landmark in London.

The Great Wall of China

One of the most ambitious

 projects ever undertaken; the

Great Wall of China has had 3

major  renovations and several

extensions over the past 2,000

years. At its longest, the wall

 

stretched for more than 6,500 kilometres. Although the wall was

originally built to protect the Chinese from invading hordes, today it

stands as a popular tourist attraction and a reminder of the power of 

the mighty empire that once ruled the lands.

The Globe theatre, England

The home of William Shakespeare, the Globe theatre held a historic

 place in history before it burned to the ground in 1613. Forgotten

about till last

century, American

actor Sam

Wanamaker helped

organise the

reconstruction. 

Although it was

difficult to pinpoint

the exact location of the original Globe, the team of reconstructions

came very close, building the new theatre a short walk from where

the original stood. The project was costly as the government did not

step in to help finance it. Instead the Globe was rebuilt entirely on

 private donations. It opened in 1997.

 

Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome 

Taking over 150 years to build,

the holy site was built on the

 burial site of Saint Peter the

Apostle. It became the most

expensive and elaborate building

 project of its time. Made of marble and stone, artists such as

Raphael, Bramante and Michelangelo all worked on the masterpiece.

The basilica was finally opened in 1667 and stands today as one of 

the most beautiful and decorative  buildings in the world.

Capitol Building, USA

Created by Thomas Jefferson,

the Capitol building in

Washington D.C. is a

 beautiful sandstone and

marble building. However 

 before it was even finished,

the building was set alight by the British in the war of 1812 and

nearly burned to the ground. Despite the fire and war, the Capitol

Building was restored and completed in 1830. To house all the

important government officials the building underwent another major 

operation between 1851 and 1863.