The Houses of Parliament, also known as The Palace of Westminster has been the seat of the two Houses of Parliament called the House of Lords and the House of Commons since 1512. The Commons is made up of elected Members of Parliament (MP's) from different political parties (Labour, Liberal Democrates, Conservative, etc). The party with the most MP's forms the Government of England, with its leader becoming Prime Minister of England. MP's from other parties make up the Opposition. The Commons debate legislations in both houses before passing them through as law.
Originally built for Edward the Confessor in 1042, The Palace of Westminster has been the place where virtually all English Monarchs since William the Conquerer have been coronated. In 1512 a fire broke out and the palace stopped being a royal residence, but the Lords continued to meet there. The Palace of Westminster has been home to the English Parliament ever since.
Another fire raged through the palace in 1834 destroying much of it, except the Jewel Tower and Westminster Hall which dates from 1097 and its hammerbeam roof dating from the 14th century. This part of the palace was saved by Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister at the time who saved the great hall by arranging for the fire engines to be brought right into the hall and then he personally supervised the fire fighting. The present magnificent building is Mock Gothic and was designed by Victorian Architect Sir Charles Barry and was finished in 1870. On the main picture above you will see the two main towers. The one on the right of the picture is Big Ben, and the tower on the left is Victoria Tower which contains 1.5 million acts of Parliament passed since 1497. Victoria Tower also flies the union jack whenever Parliament is sitting.
Every November the Fifth, England comemorates the death of Guy Fawkes, who along with others tried to blow up the king and the Houses of Parliament back in 1605. On this date in England fireworks fill the sky nationwide and bonfires light in every town and village
in the county of Greater London
(0.4 miles, 0.6 km)Of all the jewels in the City of Westminster, none shines more brightly than Westminster Abbey, stunning setting for the coronation of almost every English monarch since William the Conqueror was crowned there in 1066...
a Historic City in the county of Greater London
(0.6 miles, 1.0 km)London is one of the top cities in the world, full of history and so many beautiful and fascinating places to visit.You will never tire of all the many fascinating and exciting.....
in the county of Greater London
(0.9 miles, 1.4 km)One of the Capital's most noted places, Piccadilly sweeps uphill with handsome houses on one side and Green Park on the other...
in the county of Greater London
(1.2 miles, 2.0 km, direction NW)Mayfair has it all, it is the haunt of the rich and famous, with elegant houses and apartment buildings that are the sole province of the wealthy...
in the county of Greater London
(1.7 miles, 2.7 km, direction NW)Marylebone is one of London's more affluent area's, it is home mostly to the well to do, and yet only a couple of centuries ago a large workhouse was built here to give shelter to the poor and homeless, often foundlings were discovered on the workhouse doorstep...
All towns in Greater London
Big Ben is famous the world over for being the giant four faced clock in London, England, but infact its not the name of the.....
At a height of 450 feet (135m) and 1600 tonnes, the London Eye Observation Wheel is the biggest of its kind to ever be built. It.....
Westminster Abbey is world famous for being the resting place of centuries of British monarchs, and as the place where.....
This is part of London's great ceremonial route recognisable all around the world. The massive arch was designed by Sir Aston.....
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