Palace of Westminster, London
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The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the parliament house of the United Kingdom. The Palace, and especially its Clock Tower, is one of the most recognisable icons of London and the United Kingdom. It is also one of the most visited tourist attractions of London. The Palace of Westminster is located on the north bank of the River Thames which due to the bent in that section of the river, it is on the west side of the Thames, in the London borough of the City of Westminster, in proximity to the other government buildings in Whitehall.
The Palace of Westminster is one of the biggest parliament houses in the world. It contains 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases, over 3km of corridors. Most of it dates back to 1834, following a fire that burned down the earlier building. Only the Westminster Hall, used for public ceremonial events such as lying in state, and the Jewel Tower, were older.
The site of the Palace of Westminster has been occupied since medieval times, when it was known as Thorney Island. The penultimate Saxon king of England, Edward the Confessor, had built a palace in Thorney Island just as he built Westminster Abbey between 1045 and 1050. The area became known as Westminster, a contraction of West Monastery. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, King William I put up at the Tower of London before later moving to Westminster. All the buildings used by the Saxons and by William I have all gone. The oldest parts of the Palace are Westminster Hall and the Great Hall. These dates back to William I's successor, William II.
During that time, the Palace of Westminster was the king's main residence. At that time, there was no parliament. Instead, there was the King's court, called Curia Regis, or Royal Council. They are the forerunner of Parliament, and are composed of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics. Tenants-in-chief are people who held lands directly from the King. They are called earls and barons, and their territory called manors. The ecclesiastics are religous leaders, such as the archbishops, bishops and abbots. The Royal Council met in Westminster Hall, but followed the King wherever he moved. The first official Parliament of England met at the Palace of Westminster in 1295.
The Palace of Westminster continued to be the king's main residence until 1529. That's the year it caught fire that destroyed parts of it. In 1530 Henry VII took over York Palace, renamed it the Palace of Whitehall and made it his main residence. The Palace of Westminster continued to be used by the two Houses of Parliament and as a law court. As it was intended to be a royal palace, the Palace of Westminster was not built for the purpose of parliament. Important ceremonies, such as the State Opening of Parliament, was held in the Painted Chamber. The House of Lords meet in the White Chamber. The House of Commons did not have a place to meet, and had to meet in the Chapter House of the Westminster Abbey. They only get a permanent home during the reign of Henry VII's successor, King Edward VI, at St Stephen's Chapel, a former royal chapel.
Another fire broke out at the Palace of Westminster in 1834. Only Westminster Hall, the Jewel Tower, the crypt of St Stephen's Chapel and the cloisters survived the fire. A debate broke out as to the style to rebuild the Palace. The neoclassical style, similar to the White House and Congress of USA, was rejected for its connotations of revolution and republic. In the end the Gothic style was chosen. Out of 97 proposals submitted, the one from Charles Barry was chosen. The foundation stone was laid in 1840, the Lord's Chamber was completed in 1847, and the Commons' Chamber in 1852. Barry received a knighthood that year. When he died in 1860, much of the work has been carried out, but it would take another ten years before the Palace of Westminster was fully completed.
The Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and the Church of St Margaret were collectively inscribed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site in 1987.
Palace of Westminster
