Once the home of the royal family and still officially a royal palace, the Palace of Westminster, is better known as the Houses of Parliament. Together with its famous clock tower known as Big Ben which rises nearly 330 ft and contains a 13 ton bell that strikes the hour, it has long been one of London's most famous sights.
Parliament officially remains a royal palace and is still referred to as the Palace of Westminster. The site was used as a royal residence until Henry VIII moved out in 1512 and transferred his court to the Palace of Whitehall.
Westminster Hall began in 1078, with its magnificent hammer-beamed roof, together with a small crypt chapel and the Jewel Tower (across the road from parliament) are the only buildings to survive from the old palace. The hall has been witness to several notable trials, including that of Sir William Wallace (1305), Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot conspirators (1606) and King Charles I accused of treason against Parliament(1649).
Today the hall is often used for important State occasions such as the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the lying-in-State of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
The whole of the ground now occupied by the Houses of Parliament,
Westminster Hall and New Palace Yard was formerly covered with the
walls, gates, tower, state chambers, private chambers, offices, stables,
gardens, and outhouses, of the King's House, Westminster.
In the fourteenth century, the palace was walled, but not moated; it had two principal gates, one opening to the north, and another on the river. In an area of around twelve and a half acres there was the King's and Queen's state and private apartments, and accommodation for an immense army of followers.
When King Henry VIII. moved to the palace at Whitehall a new Westminster arose about his old Court but this in its turn almost vanished with the fire of 1834.
The Houses of Parliament, as we know them today, were rebuilt after a fire in 1834. The new building by Architect Charles Barry, was created in Gothic style and incorporated Westminster Hall and the remains of St Stephen's Chapel.
The Clock Tower (Big Ben): Fast Facts
The Tower's height is 96 metres (314 feet) and you would need to climb
334 steps to reach the belfry - there are 393 steps in total.
The Clock
The Clock has 4 faces - each with a diameter of 7m. There are 312 separate pieces of glass in each clock face and the illumination is provided by 28,55 watt energy saving lamps.
The Bell
Real name: The Great Bell - first cast in 1856 - a second bell had to be cast and installed in 1858, after the first bell cracked. The bell first rang in 1859 and it weighs 13.5 tonnes with a hammer weight of 200kgs.
The Famous Clock's pendulum bob (Big Ben)
This is the pendulum bob for the Great Clock within Big Ben. The pendulum bob weighs 203 kg. Made from concentric tubes of steel and zinc
- the total weight of the pendulum is 299 kg.
The Public Gallery is open to the public free of charge when the House is sitting, which is usually:
14.30 - 22.30 on Mondays
14.30 - 22.30 on Tuesdays
11.30 - 19.30 on Wednesdays
10.30 - 18.30 on Thursdays
09.30 - 15.00 on Fridays, when the House is sitting.
During the Summer Opening, UK residents and overseas visitors can buy tickets to tour Parliament.
Location: Westminster, London SW1A 0AA
Nearest Tube / Underground Station: Westminster.
website: www.parliament.uk
