About the Author

Dr Mari Takayanagi is a Senior Archivist at the Parliamentary Archives and has worked there since 2000. She is also a historian, currently researching Parliament, women and politics c. 1918-1945 with a view to celebrating the centenary of Equal Franchise in 2028.

Dr ELIZABETH HALLAM SMITH was the first female Librarian at the House of Lords and before that was the Director of Public Services at The National Archives, Kew. Now attached to Parliament's Architecture and Conservation team, she is researching the history of the Palace of Westminster and the people who worked there across the centuries.