Description
The Palace of Westminster is the home of the UK Parliament, on the north bank of the Thames in London: a long riverfront of Gothic pinnacles with Big Ben at one end and the Victoria Tower at the other. It has over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and three miles of passageways, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The palace as you see it is Victorian. In October 1834 a fire, started by burning old tally sticks in a stove, destroyed most of the old palace. Parliament held a competition for the new one.
The winner, Charles Barry, was a classical architect, so he called in the Gothic enthusiast Augustus Pugin for the details. The work lasted from 1840 to 1876. Pugin was modest about it: "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body."
The oldest part survived the flames. Westminster Hall, from the 11th century, has been the scene of great trials and coronation banquets, and of the lying in state of monarchs. Its oak hammerbeam roof, from the 1390s, is one of the great wonders of medieval carpentry.
At the heart of the palace is the Central Lobby, an octagonal hall under a high vault, with mosaics of the patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. This is where voters met their MPs, which gave us the word "lobbying".
To the south, the House of Lords is a blaze of red and gold, with the gilded throne used at the State Opening of Parliament. To the north, the House of Commons is green and far more modest.
The Commons chamber is not Victorian at all. It was destroyed by German bombs in 1941, and rebuilt by 1950 in a simpler style. In that raid firefighters had to choose between it and Westminster Hall, and they saved the hall. A bomb-scarred arch was left unrepaired on purpose, as a memorial.
Two towers hold the ends. The Victoria Tower, 98 meters high, shelters the Parliamentary Archives. The Elizabeth Tower, home of Big Ben, is 96 meters high.
A lamp at its top, the Ayrton Light, shines when Parliament sits after dark. Queen Victoria asked for it, so she could see from Buckingham Palace that the MPs were at work.
Don't miss
• Westminster Hall.
• The House of Lords.
• The House of Commons.
• The Central Lobby.
• The Elizabeth Tower.
Did you know?
• No monarch has entered the Commons since Charles I tried to arrest five MPs in 1642: at the State Opening the doors are still slammed in the face of the King's messenger.
• Before every State Opening the cellars are searched, as they have been since the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
• A bomb in 1940 lifted the statue of Richard the Lionheart off its pedestal and bent its sword.
The palace as you see it is Victorian. In October 1834 a fire, started by burning old tally sticks in a stove, destroyed most of the old palace. Parliament held a competition for the new one.
The winner, Charles Barry, was a classical architect, so he called in the Gothic enthusiast Augustus Pugin for the details. The work lasted from 1840 to 1876. Pugin was modest about it: "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body."
The oldest part survived the flames. Westminster Hall, from the 11th century, has been the scene of great trials and coronation banquets, and of the lying in state of monarchs. Its oak hammerbeam roof, from the 1390s, is one of the great wonders of medieval carpentry.
At the heart of the palace is the Central Lobby, an octagonal hall under a high vault, with mosaics of the patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. This is where voters met their MPs, which gave us the word "lobbying".
To the south, the House of Lords is a blaze of red and gold, with the gilded throne used at the State Opening of Parliament. To the north, the House of Commons is green and far more modest.
The Commons chamber is not Victorian at all. It was destroyed by German bombs in 1941, and rebuilt by 1950 in a simpler style. In that raid firefighters had to choose between it and Westminster Hall, and they saved the hall. A bomb-scarred arch was left unrepaired on purpose, as a memorial.
Two towers hold the ends. The Victoria Tower, 98 meters high, shelters the Parliamentary Archives. The Elizabeth Tower, home of Big Ben, is 96 meters high.
A lamp at its top, the Ayrton Light, shines when Parliament sits after dark. Queen Victoria asked for it, so she could see from Buckingham Palace that the MPs were at work.
Don't miss
• Westminster Hall.
• The House of Lords.
• The House of Commons.
• The Central Lobby.
• The Elizabeth Tower.
Did you know?
• No monarch has entered the Commons since Charles I tried to arrest five MPs in 1642: at the State Opening the doors are still slammed in the face of the King's messenger.
• Before every State Opening the cellars are searched, as they have been since the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
• A bomb in 1940 lifted the statue of Richard the Lionheart off its pedestal and bent its sword.