Height: 15cm (6in)
Stone and lead. Pair of bookends, each applied with a lead roundel, the first, a Tudor rose in relief encircled by the words, ‘This stone came from the Houses of Parliament; and the second, St George and the dragon inscribed 'London 1941'.
After the Houses of Parliament were damaged by enemy action in May 1941, Stonecraft Limited of London obtained rights to work the blitzed fabric of the building into a range of useful artefacts that were sold in aid of the Red Cross & St John Fund..
The Palace of Westminster was damaged by air raids on fourteen different occasions during the Second World War.The incendiary bombs which fell on the nights of 10 and 11 May 1941 caused the greatest damage to the Palace. The Commons Chamber was hit by bombs and the roof of Westminster Hall was set on fire. The fire service said that it would be impossible to save both, so it was decided to concentrate on saving Westminster Hall. The Commons Chamber was entirely destroyed by the fire which spread to the Members' Lobby and caused the ceiling to collapse. By the following morning, all that was left of the Chamber was a smoking shell. A small bomb struck the Clock Tower and broke all the glass on its south face, but the clock and bells were undamaged and the chimes could be broadcast as usual. The House of Lords was struck by a bomb which passed through the floor of the Chamber without exploding.