On the banks of the Thames. It is connected to Trafalgar Square by Whitehall Street.
The first palace on this dream was built almost a thousand years ago as the residence of the English kings. Construction began in 1042 on the initiative of King Edward the Confessor, as a replacement for the Tower, a fortified palace in the old part of London. By that time, the Tower was surrounded by urban development; it found itself in the thick of life of the London poor, among the poverty and overcrowding of ordinary people.
So, the English monarchs decided to move to a more secluded place.
The swamp on the banks of the Thames next to the Benedictine monastery turned out to be secluded. The swamp was drained and a new royal residence was built in 1042. Forty-five years later, Westminster Hall was built for William II the Red, the second son of William the Conqueror, where meetings of the Supreme Court of England and coronation banquets were held. It was the most elegant building in Europe.
At the end of the 14th century, Westminster Hall was rebuilt. The talented London mason Henry Yevel laid out the walls. Royal carpenter Hugh Erland took part in the construction of the famous wooden floors.
This is one of the most grandiose medieval halls known in the architecture of Western Europe. The area of Westminster Hall is 1800 square meters. Its height is 28 meters. The wooden roof does not have any supporting pillars. The hall's 21-meter-wide span is spanned by exposed carved oak rafters, which rest on a complex system of strongly forward wooden brackets.
In Westminster Hall, one is amazed by the impeccability of proportions, the integrity of the composition and the beauty of the lines of the carved design. The wood of the ceilings has darkened over the centuries, and now they seem immersed in a mysterious twilight. The space of the hall is flooded with silvery-lilac light penetrating through the colored stained glass of the pointed Gothic windows. The British say that in any weather the walls blow cold. Everything reminds of the antiquity of the hall, of the events that once took place in it.
From the 14th to the 19th centuries, for five hundred years, Westminster Hall had mainly two purposes: it was the hall where the Supreme Court of England sat, and the place for coronation banquets. Its history is closely connected with the history of England. All the major trials of these five centuries took place here. In this hall, the death sentence was pronounced for Charles I, Thomas More, and Guy Fawkes, who led the “gunpowder plot.” In Westminster Hall in 1653, Oliver Cromwell was proclaimed Lord Protector of the English Republic, and eight years later, after the restoration of the monarchy, Cromwell’s remains were removed from the grave, and his head was displayed on the roof of the same Westminster Hall.
Westminster Hall ceased to be the center of the turbulent events of London life already in the 19th century. Cloth and book dealers, whose stalls at the end of the 17th century brought noisy bustle to the walls of the hall, were forever expelled from the hall. A Courthouse was built in the City, and the last coronation banquet took place in this hall in 1832.
And this hall has survived to this day. It is almost a thousand years old! Westminster Hall in London is the best and most expressive monument of medieval secular architecture.
It is connected to the Parliament building, built in the 19th century, by the portal of St. Stefan.
Until 1529, English kings lived in the palace. Already in the first centuries of its existence, the building began to perform another function. It all started with the fact that eighteen barons, who were in opposition to royal power, in 1215 forced the English king John the Landless to sign the Magna Carta, which marked the beginning of the English constitution. A few years later, one of the opposition leaders, Baron Simon de Montfort, convened the first English parliament. For a long time, Parliament did not have its own residence: it had to hold meetings either in Westminster Hall or share the Chapter Hall of Westminster Abbey with the monks. Only after the Palace of Westminster ceased to be a royal residence, the English Parliament in 1547 received its permanent meeting place in the palace in St. Stephen's Chapel.
This was not very convenient, since the entrance to the chapel was through Westminster Hall, where the Supreme Court of England sat. Despite these inconveniences, the House of Commons met in St. Stephen's Chapel until the fire of 1834.
The fire of 1834 almost completely destroyed the palace. Only Westminster Hall and the Tower of the Jewels, which were built in the 14th century to store the treasury of Edward III, survived.
It was decided to build a new palace on the same site. According to legend, this decision was largely determined by the location on the banks of the Thames, since the Parliament building, in the event of popular unrest, cannot be surrounded by a revolutionary crowd.
Of the ninety-seven projects submitted to the competition, ninety-one were completed in the Gothic style. The project of the architect Charles Barry (1795-1860), a young architect who had already attracted attention with a number of buildings, was recognized as the best.
Only the preparatory work before the start of construction took three years - terraces had to be built along the Thames. The architect carried out the construction of the palace in 1840-1888. together with Augustus Welby Pugin, building the parliamentary complex in the neo-Gothic style. British Empire built for her parliament a building of rare pomp and size even by the tastes of that time.
The Palace of Westminster, now simply called the Houses of Parliament, is currently one of the largest buildings in the world. The following figures are amazing: 3.2 hectares of area, 1,200 rooms, 5 kilometers of corridors, 100 stairs.
Despite its size, the Parliament building is not overwhelming in size. The correct proportionality of the main volumes of such a significant structure deserves admiration. From a distance, the broad scope and almost classical severity of its facades makes a great impression. The Parliament is especially beautiful in the evenings, when its towers and spiers, flooded with spotlights, clearly appear in the dark sky. What gives it a unique identity are two towers, asymmetrically located in the northern and southern parts palace The mighty Victoria Tower, square in plan, and huge clock tower together with a small turret with a spire placed above central hall, not only decorate the palace, but also balance the enormous length of its facades with their height.
The architect Charles Barry owed much of his success in the construction of the Palace of Westminster to his collaboration with O. Pugin, an enthusiast and expert on English Gothic architecture. Being an excellent draftsman, passionately in love with the art of the Middle Ages, O. Pugin also participated in the development of details of the palace facades. It was thanks to his inventive imagination that the facades of the Palace of Westminster and its towers were decorated with intricate stone carvings.
The most famous tower is often called Big Ben. This is actually St. Stephen's Tower. And Big Ben is the name of a bell specially cast for the tower. As often happens, later the tower itself began to be called “Big Ben,” which became the hallmark of London.
This tower was conceived as a clock tower, and it was decided to install a clock and a bell on it, which would be the largest in the world.
Seven years passed between the moment this decision was made and the start of work. Over the years, a number of projects were considered, and in the end the commission settled on the project of Edmund Beckett Denison, who promised that all requirements would be met. The clock and bell created according to his design remained the largest in the world for a long time.
The tower is equipped with a clock mechanism that is highly accurate.
When creating the Big Ben clock, the commission set a condition: the advance or lag of the clock mechanism should not exceed one second per day. Most watchmakers argued that this requirement, given the development of technology, is unrealistic. However, Edmund Beckett Denison was able to produce such a mechanism in five years. Its weight is 5 tons, and the accuracy required until the Second World War. During the war, due to bombing, the accuracy violation increased to 2 seconds per day. Using a one-penny coin, which is placed on a four-meter pendulum, they figured out how to adjust the movement of the mechanism.
The clock of St. Stephen's Tower is sometimes called the “main clock” of the state. Having four 9-meter dials, the clock was constructed under the direction of the famous astronomer Eri. Time is struck by an hour bell, which weighs almost 14 tons. This is the famous Big Ben!
True, the bell, due to the pursuit of weight, began to fulfill its functions only on the third attempt. Cast by Edmund Beckett Denison latest technology The 16-ton bell, made of the latest alloy, broke after the first blow. Two months later, the bell cracked due to the tongue being too heavy. And only from the third time, when all the parameters were taken into account, the bell began to fulfill its functions. The fight of Big Ben is constantly broadcast on English radio stations. Millions of people hear it on the radio every hour.
Where did this name come from - Big Ben, or "Big Benjamin"? There are as many as three versions today.
Most often, the origin of the name is associated with Benjamin Hall, a construction foreman. His height was great.
According to the second version, the bell was named after the then popular boxer Benjamin Count. His fists were big.
According to the third version, Benjamin Hall, nicknamed Big Ben, was the name of the chairman of the parliamentary commission (there is an option that this was the name of the Minister of Public Works). The discussion on the topic “How to name a bell” took too long. After Benjamin Hall's long speech on this topic, no one understood the essence of his proposal. At the end of the speech, while the speaker was catching his breath, one of the listeners, in order to save the situation, suggested calling the bell “Big Ben”! Those present, delighted by the unexpected rescue, applauded.
Big Ben is not the most high tower palace - its height is 96.3 meters, while the height of the Victoria Tower is 102 meters (according to other sources - 98.45 meters).
During the construction of the Victoria Tower, it was taken into account that its purpose was to store parliamentary documents. Its external and internal structure had to be fireproof. It was necessary to take into account the sad experience of the events of 1834, when all the documents except the Jewels in the tower were burned in a fire. The design of the walls was quite bold for those times - a cast-iron frame surrounded by masonry. The first stone for the tower was laid by Queen Victoria herself.
The Victoria Tower forms the royal entrance to Parliament. During the session, the British national flag is raised on it.
Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
The northern part of the building, with the Victoria Tower rising above it, is occupied by the House of Lords and the premises associated with it by the parliamentary ceremony.
The monarch ascends the Royal Staircase to the Norman Portico and from there enters the Hall of the Royal Robe. The Royal Robe Hall is still decorated with paintings by William Dick, which depict historical scenes from the reign of King Arthur. Passing further, through the Royal Gallery, where statues of English rulers are installed - from King Alfred to Queen Anne - the monarch passes into the Prince's room with a sculpture of Queen Victoria, and then solemnly enters the House of Lords.
The House of Lords is the most ornate room in Parliament. Decorative techniques found in the interior decoration of the entire palace reach their culmination here. Stone and wood carvings, many frescoes and paintings - the best masters created to fill this hall for many years, turning into centuries. The ceiling is completely covered with images of heraldic animals, birds, flowers, etc. Colored stained glass windows are inserted into the windows. A royal throne with an inlaid canopy, rows of benches covered in bright red leather, eighteen bronze statues of the barons who obtained the Magna Carta from King John, standing in the niches between the windows - this is what you will see when you visit the famous hall. In the House of Lords, parliamentarians are divided into two categories - lords temporal and lords spiritual.
The majority in the chamber in past centuries belonged to the Lords Spiritual - representatives of the Church of England. Currently, the advantage is on the side of secular lords, who bear the title of baron or baroness. As in former times, the Speaker - the Lord Chancellor - sits on a woolsack. This tradition recalls the time when England, as the world's main wool producer, exported this valuable commodity. Interesting fact, that recently they began to add wool produced in other Commonwealth countries to the bag.
In the southern half of the palace, which is crowned by Big Ben, is the hall of the House of Commons. It is decorated much more modestly than the House of Lords. The walls are decorated with red oak, and at the top there are balconies for spectators and the press. Benches upholstered in green leather are provided for deputies. To the right of the speaker are representatives of the ruling party, and to the left are representatives of the opposition party. Not far from the entrance is the speaker's chair, surrounded by an iron grille. Red lines are drawn between the rows of benches. The distance from line to line is two sword lengths. This is also a tradition, the distance is such that the venerable parliamentarians do not reach each other with their blades. Anyone who crosses the line is considered to have attacked the opponent.
During World War II, German aircraft destroyed the House of Commons. The new reconstruction was led by Gil Gilbert Scott. Restoring the palace was a difficult and expensive process, as the highest quality wood was required. During the restoration work, the general Gothic character of the architecture was preserved. But the finishing details carved in stone and wood, and many furnishings that previously formed a single stylistic complex with the entire room, were not repeated. The artistic integrity of the appearance of the hall was further disrupted by the introduction of lighting spotlights of modern forms. The restoration dragged on until 1950.
Between the House of Lords and the House of Commons there are several halls and corridors. The Hall of Peers is decorated with the coats of arms of the six royal dynasties. From here you can get to the Central Hall, which has an octagonal shape. As in the Royal Gallery, there are sculptural portraits of the royal family. In the center of the palace is the oldest part - Westminster Hall.
In addition to the main halls, the palace has many rooms for commissions and committees.
The Palace of Westminster has been open to tours since 2004. During the tour you can see the royal gallery, the royal dressing room, the debate chamber and, at the end of the tour, Westminster Hall, the same one that was built in the 11th century. Here visitors can view an exhibition dedicated to the history of parliamentary democracy in England and visit the souvenir shop. Such an excursion can only be taken from August 6 to September 16 of each year, during parliamentarians' holidays.
But you can attend meetings of the House of Lords or the House of Commons throughout the year, every day, except weekends. After the check, you will be given reminders with a list of what you should never do: read during a discussion, applaud and look at parliamentarians with binoculars.
Many traditions are associated with the English Parliament.
In 1605, Guy Fawkes, who led the Gunpowder Plot, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Since then, guards dressed in ancient costumes, with lanterns and halberds, search the basements and nooks and crannies of the palace on November 5 of each year, although everyone knows in advance that they will not find any barrels of gunpowder in these rooms. This tradition of searching for attackers continues in the new palace building, built two and a half centuries after the “gunpowder plot.”
Another interesting tradition is observed if the meeting of the House of Commons ends late at night. At the end of the meeting, under the arches of the palace, even today you can hear the exclamation: “Who is going home?” The dark streets of London were far from safe in ancient times, and parliamentarians tried to return home in large groups. And although the Palace of Westminster and the surrounding streets are currently bathed in bright electric lights, and comfortable cars await members of parliament at the entrances, “Who Goes Home?” still sounds like centuries ago. And there are a great many such traditions observed in the Palace of Westminster today. And the most important of them is the annual, magnificent and complex opening ceremony of the parliamentary session with the participation of the Queen, all members of the government and deputies of both houses.
The decoration of London and the seat of parliament is the Palace of Westminster, stretching along the banks of the Thames. It is curious that the enormous neo-Gothic splendor is eclipsed in terms of fame by its small part - St. Stephen's Tower or Big Ben.
In 1834, the predecessor of the palace caught fire; all that remained from the fire victims was the crypt under St. Stephen's Chapel and Westminster Hall, on the basis of which a new building was rebuilt in 1840-1860. Subsequently, he got it too, but even during the attack by German bombers in 1941, the lucky one Westminster Hall survived.
What is remarkable about the hall, which does not burn in fire and is not afraid of bombs? Proportionality, completeness, intricacy of carving. Over the years, the tree darkened, and the silver light oozing through the stained glass windows was framed by twilight. They say that no matter how hot it is outside the hall, you can freeze inside without a jacket.
Perhaps it’s worth talking about the “untouchable” in more detail. Built in the 11th century and rebuilt in the 14th century, the building reached 28 meters in height and occupied 1.8 thousand “squares”.
Within the Middle Ages the structure had practically no analogues in Western Europe. What's so special about it? Here, for example, are the ceilings: the roof was not supported by pillars. This “mechanism” cannot be described in detail, but in short, the oak rafters were fixed with brackets placed forward at a decent distance. A similar technique was used in the construction of residential buildings and parish churches in the country; it can safely be called an achievement of English architecture.
Crossing the threshold of the hall - you take a step into the past. Once upon a time, parliament began to sit here, at the end of the 13th century the House of Commons moved into the building, then for 5 centuries in a row the Supreme Court of England “quartered” in the hall, and coronation banquets were also held here. Within the walls of Westminster Hall, Thomas More, Guy Fawkes, Charles the First, Kilmanrock, Lovat and Balmerino heard their death sentences, and Oliver Cromwell was proclaimed Lord Protector of the Republic. True, 8 years passed, and the remains of the lord were exhumed, and his head was displayed on the roof of Westminster Hall. But that's a completely different story...
In the 19th century, a new courthouse appeared; the last coronation celebrated in the abbey’s hall took place in 1832; a little earlier, the book and cloth dealers who had animated the hall since the end of the 17th century were driven out of the building. Westminster Hall was combined with the new Houses of Parliament using St Stephen's Portal.
It would seem that, House of Commons and for many years her fame thundered far beyond the borders of England, and got his own residence to her not right away. At first, members of the House had to “converse” in Westminster Hall, which was shared with them by the monastic proprietors. Finally, in the 16th century, the parliament got its own “corner” in St. Stephen’s Chapel, which for this occasion was equipped with galleries and benches, which radically modified the hall. True, the path to the chapel, one way or another, ran through the hall. The members of the Supreme Court must have been constantly irritated. This did not bother the Lords of the House of Commons; the idyll was destroyed by the fire of 1834. There was nowhere to sit.
A year later, it was decided to build a new one on the ashes of the old one. Eat interesting theory as to why the parliament was built right on the river bank for a reason. After all, even with a strong desire, a crowd of revolutionaries could not surround the building, unless the rebels discovered the talent of walking on water. The basis was taken in the Elizabethan (Gothic) style, characteristic of English architecture of the late 16th century.
As a result, out of 97 options, we chose the 91st, developed by Charles Berry. The result caused a significant resonance in society, but no matter what anyone said, the building instantly turned into one of the main attractions of the city. Harmonious proportionality, coupled with classical severity, sweeping facades and beauty of outlines still attract attention today. One cannot help but notice a small flaw - the asymmetry of the location of the Victoria and Big Ben towers, which, in combination with the central tower with a spire, seem to hold back the building, which occupies 3.2 hectares. It seems that if it weren’t for them, the palace would have covered the whole of London!
140 meter Victoria Tower precedes the royal portal to parliament, and the 98-meter St. Stephen's Tower equipped with a clock mechanism and a bell named Big Ben weighing 13.5 tons! During the sessions, the national flag flies above the first tower, and the second is snatched out of the darkness by a spotlight. Three kilometers of corridors, a hundred staircases, more than a thousand rooms, a complex layout - this is already impressive, but “bare” facts will not get by here. The Houses of Lords and Commons, state halls, voting rooms, libraries, refectories, utility rooms - Berry managed to calculate with pinpoint accuracy exactly what should be located and where exactly, what corridor should be connected to and what should be adjacent to what. Bravo to the architect!
In the northern part Parliament contained the House of Lords, the Royal Gallery, which included a hall where the royal person changed clothes, as well as a waiting room in which members of the chamber argued before making private decisions. In the southern part The building housed the House of Commons, its lobby, voting room and the speaker's office. From both parts of parliament, along the corridors, the lords came to the central hall: petitions were considered here, press conferences were held, tourists and curious townspeople scurried about. From this hall you can get to St. Stephen's Hall, which appeared on the site of a burnt chapel, from here you can clearly see the interior of Westminster Hall.
Berry owes a lot to Pugin, thanks to whose imagination the ornate carvings on the facades and towers of the palace appeared. Auguster Pugin I was also involved in interior decor, but I didn’t really know what to do, and therefore there are rooms in which there is no room for “living” left. All wood, velvet, mosaic, frescoes, wallpaper and niches. The floors are covered with tiles in shades of cinnamon, blue and yellow. The patterns are small, overly detailed, the colors are rich. The bourgeoisie cried with delight, but modern visitors want to squint - their eyes are dazzled. Alas, overload, skill is lost.
House of Lords got the best of everything: on the ceilings there is heraldry of birds, flowers, animals and others like them. On the walls there is wooden cladding, above which there are frescoes, 18 bronze statues of barons occupy inter-window niches, from where they “look” at the canopy of the royal throne, rows of benches in red leather and the place of the Lord Chancellor, reminiscent of interesting tradition. The Chancellor, dressed in a black and gold robe, always sat on a bale stuffed with wool, the source of British wealth. The bag moved to the museum a long time ago, but the tradition lives on. The chairman of the chamber puts on a white wig and opens the meeting, sitting on the “soft” one. At the north end of the room there is a bronze railing indicating the "seat" of the members of the House of Commons and their Speaker during sessions.
During the Second World War, the part of the palace that belonged to the House of Commons was damaged. During the reconstruction, the previous Gothic style was preserved. But the stone and wood carvings and decorative elements that intertwined all the interior details into a single picture could not be repeated. And the appearance of modern spotlights completely dispelled the spell. In fairness, it should be noted that even with the former elegance the House of Commons was inferior to the House of Lords. What hasn't changed is the oak paneling on the walls and the green leather on the benches.
By the way, at the beginning of the 17th century, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up parliament, and since then, on an annual basis on November 5, the trada, dressed up in the ancient manner, arms itself with halberds and lanterns, going to search the corridors and basements of the palace. Everyone understands that no one will find powder barrels, but tradition of exposing the gunpowder plot has been observed for 3 centuries.
Another tradition has survived to this day. If the meeting lasts until late at night, then the question echoes from the palace walls "Who's going home?". Previously, the streets of London could not be called safe, and members of the chamber did not take risks independent walks, forming into “flocks”. Today London is flooded with electric light, and parliamentarians are waiting for respectable cars, but as before, “Who's going home?” is heard.
The brightest tradition can be called opening ceremony of the parliamentary session, in which the queen, all members of the government and both houses take part.
Built in the neo-Gothic style, it stretches along the banks of the Thames for three kilometers. (This reminded me of one of the most famous palaces in Russia - the Winter Palace)
Many can recognize this beautiful palace by one of its towers - the famous Big Ben, as everyone calls it.
It's funny, but many people, when they hear "Palace of Westminster", do not immediately understand what it is about. And no wonder - he is known to everyone as London Houses of Parliament.
It is here that both houses of the British government are located, and here its fate is decided.
History of the Palace of Westminster
The palace was built back in the 11th century for King Edward, who ascended the throne in 1042, and was completed and expanded over several centuries.
Thus, the famous Westminster Hall - the heart of the palace and the most elegant European hall - was built half a century later for William Rufus. Another two centuries later, Henry III added a new chamber to the hall. And on January 20, 1265, a meeting of the first English parliament took place there. This first parliament appointed (and later elected) individuals from the upper classes, the clergy and the aristocracy.
Parliament shared its residence with the royal one for another century, until the royal couple decided to move to Whitehall in 1547, and the Parliament of London became the sole owner of the Palace of Westminster.
The palace continued to deteriorate until... there was a fire in 1834. Fortunately, Westminster Hall and the crypts were preserved, but the main ensemble of the building was badly damaged. Parliament decided to restore its beloved and now dear residence, but at the same time make several adjustments.
It took more than thirty years to restore this masterpiece of architecture designed by Charles Barry, but it was worth it - now we can admire a beautiful example of a palace in the neo-Gothic style.
How to get to the Houses of Parliament in London
Tourists have two opportunities to visit the Houses of Parliament, while for residents of the UK it is much easier - any Briton can contact Parliament with a question, and also visit the palace with a representative of their region. And most importantly, they can visit Big Ben and see the tower from the inside! Envy-envy-envy.
How cool it would be to see this tower from the inside...
Since we are not British citizens, our options are much smaller.
- You can watch the Parliament debates for free from the guest gallery.
- Buy an audio tour to Parliament or a guided tour.
Free debates in Parliament
Anyone can get to the debate by simply standing in line for the event. Debates are held daily from Monday to Thursday, and also during the sitting of Parliament on Friday.
Debates are different. Okay, off to the debate. "Question Time" Only UK residents are admitted who have a ticket issued to them by their regional representative. Those Britons who don't have a ticket, as well as tourists, can attend this debate if there is space left.
On other debates There is no need to register, but you will have to wait in a long line. The wait usually takes one to two hours.
Schedule of Parliament meetings
Excursion to Parliament
To the joy of our compatriots who do not know English language and not wanting to overpay for individual tour in some agency (if there are any) - excursions to the Parliament are also conducted in Russian.
Audio tours runs from 9.20 to 16.30 on Saturdays, from 13.20 to 17.30 on Mondays and from 9.20 to 17.30 from Tuesday to Friday (from July 31 to August 29, from September 12 to October 19 - tours until 16.30) every 15 minutes. Duration - 1 hour.
Guided tours in English are held from 9.00 to 16.15 (except Mondays, on Mondays they start at 13.20) and start every 15-20 minutes.
Tours in other languages are held in certain time 2-3 times a day.
- In French at 10.00, 12.20 and 15.00
- In German at 10.20, 12.50 and 15.20
- In Italian at 10.40, 13.00 and 15.40
- In Spanish 11.00, 13.20 and 16.00
- In Russian at 13.40 and 16.15
By the way, there is another offer for tourists - “Afternoon tea”. Those. You can drink tea right in the Parliament building! This pleasure costs a lot - £29.00 excluding the cost of a ticket for the excursion.
Afternoon tea is held at 13.30 and 15.15. The audio tour should be taken at least an hour and a half before this time, and the guided tour should be taken two hours in advance. It depends on everyone... but to me it seems like a waste.
Cost of visiting Parliament House
Tickets to individual excursions You can buy it on or order by phone.
Group excursions - only by phone +44 161 425 8677
Photography is prohibited inside. The rules for visiting Parliament and its news can be found on the official website - http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/
Entering the Houses of Parliament is like touching the history and government of Great Britain. Of course, you won't be allowed to see the entire Palace of Westminster. You can only follow a clearly defined route visiting several rooms:
- Queen's Robing Room
- Royal Gallery
- Prince's Chamber
- House of Commons
- Lords Chamber
- Glossary (Moses Room)
- Central Lobby
- Members' Lobby
- Aye Lobby
- St Stephen's Hall
- Westminster Hall
How to get to the Palace of Westminster?
Metro station: Westminster.
Bus: all with a stop near Parliament Square
On this page you can see all the entrances to the Palace of Westminster, and how to get there.
Palace of Westminster
The British Parliament building (Houses of Parliament), known to our compatriots also under another name - the Palace of Westminster, is currently the seat of two parliamentary chambers of England: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Commons).
Palace of Westminster in London: history of Parliament and modernity
The most famous landmark of the Houses of Parliament is its tower - the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, better known as Big Ben.
The Palace of Westminster began to serve as a stronghold of the monarchy in the middle of the 11th century, when King Edward the Confessor moved the royal court here and the apartments of the monarchs were located in the center of London, near the River Thames.
In 1265, the British Parliament was created, consisting of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords always met in the Palace of Westminster, but the House of Commons at that time did not have a permanent meeting place.
In 1530, the residence of the king (at that time he was Henry the Eighth) was moved to Whitehall Palace, and the House of Lords continued to meet in the Palace of Westminster. It was not until 1547 that the House of Commons also moved into the palace and Westminster received the status of the central seat of government. This state of affairs continues today.
If you want to see the Houses of Parliament from a full perspective, then you need to visit the London Eye, the city's Ferris wheel - you will have a magnificent view of the capital and the new Palace of Westminster. "Why new?" - you ask. Unfortunately, in 1834, a fire destroyed almost the entire building; only the Jewel Tower, the crypt, St. Stephens and Westminster Hall survived.
To rebuild the palace, an architectural competition was specially held. As a result, Sir Charles Barry and his assistant Augustus Welby Pugin received the right to develop an architectural project for the restoration of Westminster, which they did with success. The palace rose from the ashes in the same Gothic, and now in the neo-Gothic style and added to the ensemble those architectural structures that survived the fire. Construction took 30 years and was completely completed in 1870.
Today the Palace of Westminster includes:
- Clock Tower
- Victoria Tower
- House of Commons
- House of Lords
- Westminster Hall
- Lobby
Address: Westminster, London SW1A 0AA, UK, tel. +44 20 7219 3000
Big Ben
He is also called Big Ben. But in fact the correct name is the Clock Tower, at the top of which is the largest clock in England. The elegant design of Big Ben's creator, Charles Barry, still impresses the imagination today.
Initially, it (the Clock Tower) was called St. Stephen's Tower, but was soon renamed and received the name of the largest bell located inside it - Big Ben. If you are walking in the evening in the center of London and see that in The light at the top of Big Ben comes on, this means that Parliament is working in the Government building - the Palace of Westminster.
House of Commons and House of Lords
The building in which the House of Commons met was destroyed during the Second World War, its restoration was completed in 1950, the project was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, today you can admire the neo-Gothic style of the new House of Commons.
If we look at and compare the interior decoration of the chambers, we immediately get the feeling that the interiors of the House of Commons, made in green tones, look rather modest and austere compared to the interiors of the House of Lords.
The time that has passed since the formation of the Parliament of England has been more favorable to the House of Commons: today there is a great influence on decisions regarding the future of the country, passions run high here, and the ruling party sits opposite the opposition at a distance of exactly two swords, at a distance of one human leg , which forces parliamentarians to be self-possessed and persistent.
Central Lobby
In this room - the Central Lobby - people gather who have come to defend their interests before the government and parliament, this is where they can make a speech and convince parliament to take this or that decision, which is necessary either for ordinary citizens of the country, or for some sector of the economy, or for a territorial community. Because in this building every British citizen can declare the protection and satisfaction of their interests, it was called the Lobby, from the English verb “to lobby” - to lobby, to protect interests.
Victoria Tower
The tower, which is located opposite Big Ben, is called Victoria Tower. It was built in 1860 and houses the archives of parliamentary decisions dating back to 1497. The Flag of the United Kingdom is raised above this tower during parliamentary sessions (its height is 98 meters).
The Palace of Westminster has 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases and 5 kilometers of corridors. Anyone can observe the work of the House of Commons and the House of Lords - the parliament premises are open all week different time day. Queue at St. Stephen's Gate and, after passing through several security checkpoints, you can reach the visitors' gallery.
In August and September, when Parliament is not in session, you can take a guided tour of the entire building.
Of the palace towers, the most famous clock tower is the Elizabeth Tower, most often called Big Ben, although this is actually the name of the 13-ton bell that rings the chimes. Big Ben is known throughout the world, and the tower is a universally recognized symbol of London. Perhaps the best view of the Houses of Parliament is from the south side, from the river, and at night the illuminated towers and spiers look extremely romantic.
Story
In the 11th century, Edward the Confessor built the first Palace of Westminster on the banks of the Thames. All the monarchs lived here until Henry VIII, who had to move from Westminster after the fire. Since then, parliament has been housed here. In 1834, the old palace again almost completely burned down, leaving only the Palace Hall and the Jewel Tower. After the fire, it was decided to rebuild the complex and as a result the building acquired its current appearance with the famous Gothic spiers.
