 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 Houses of Parliament, Palace of Westminster.
The seat of political power in Britain for centuries, the Houses of Parliament are located in one of the most prominent buildings in London, and a designated World Heritage Site, the Palace of Westminster.
The original palace was built by Edward the Confessor in the 11th Century and since the 16th Century Westminster has been the seat of the Houses of Parliament. Though it was destroyed by fire in 1834 it was rebuilt on a grand scale as can be seen today and forms one of the most impressive and recognisable structures in London.
The ever-popular Big Ben is the most commanding presence around Westminster, the clock tower that dominates the façade of the Palace of Westminster. However the name Big Ben actually refers to the 14 tonne bell within the clock that has kept time since 1858.
After the drastic fire of 1834 Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin redesigned the new Palace of Westminster in the Neo-Gothic style. The oldest part of the building dating back to 1099 is Westminster Hall, which survived the fire. The Hall was the seat of the English Kings and Queens from the 11th to the 16th Century and boasts one of the earliest and best examples of a medieval hammer beam roof.
 Big Ben
The House of Commons and the House of Lords make up the two Houses of Parliament. The House of Commons was rebuilt after it was bombed in 1941 and seats 437 of the 659 Members of Parliament. The distance in the centre of the House is supposedly measured at the distance of two drawn swords a symbolic image for the venue where Politicians, debate, argue and cajole each other and get paid handsomely for it.
Westminster is open for tours in the summer from August to late September, when the assembly is in recess for three months. On tour you will see the Queen's Robing Room, the Royal Gallery, the House of Lords, the House of Commons, Westminster Hall and St Stephen’s Hall. If you wish to view the House in session you must apply to your embassy or high commission for a permit well in advance and can expect stringent security checks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
