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Houses of Parliament
Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA.
The site of the Houses of Parliament is the Palace of Westminster, a royal palace. The earliest part of the buildings still standing is Westminster Hall, built by William Rufus in 1099 and still used today for parliamentary business and major public ceremonies.
The Hall is also the place where lyings in state, of monarchs and very distinguished public figures take place. The first such occasion was Gladstone in 1898, followed by, in the last century, King George VI [1952], Queen Mary [1953] and Sir Winston Churchill [1965]. In April 2002 several hundred thousand people queued to pay their respects to the late Queen Mother, as she lay in state in the Hall.
The present Houses of Parliament were built after a fire in 1834 destroyed the earlier buildings. They are the work of the architect Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860) and his assistant Augustus Welby Pugin (1812-52).
The tower of Big Ben is perhaps the most famous British landmark. Big Ben is not in fact the name of the tower, but of the famous bell whose chimes are broadcast to the world by the BBC.
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Opening Times:
No times specified
Opening
times listed were correct at the time of entry but should be checked before
departure.
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