Standing desk

It is thought that originally there were more standing desks designed by AWN Pugin for the new Palace of Westminster. Documents in the Public Records Office dated to August 1851 detail that four additional desks were needed and that existing ones in the House of Lords Libraries could be used if the craftsmen needed to see them. They have a variety of different carvings on them including a scale like pattern on the legs and carved foliage on the main panels.

The metalwork around the keyhole (known as an escutcheon) is very ornate and would have been made by Hardman & Co in Birmingham to Pugin's design. The escutcheon would have been made of iron and then covered in a thin layer of tin to make sure it did not rust.

Examples of this sort of desk can be seen on the visitor route in the Peers Lobby and the Robing Room.