The Houses of Parliament, or Palace of Westminster
as it is also known, was originally laid out for Edward
the Confessor more than 1,000 years ago. In 1066 it
became the home of William the Conqueror and his court
and remained the principal residence of English kings
for the next 400 years, until Henry VIII.
After that time it remained the main administrative
centre for the country up until the present time. The
palace was added onto piecemeal, but
Houses of Parliament & Big
Ben
everything except Westminster Hall was burnt in the
destructive fire on the night of the 16th of October,
1834. It was rebuilt under the direction of Sir Charles
Barry, completed in the 1840's.
The Houses of Parliament are comprised of The House
of Commons and The House of Lords and coupled with the
clock tower (Big Ben) has to be the most recognisable
sight in London.
An awesome example of neo-gothic architecture, these
buildings straddle the banks of the Thames River on
the old site of the Palace of Westminster. During the
Blitz in 1941, the House of Commons Chamber was destroyed
by a German bomb. The main features of the original
building was preserved in the rebuilding.
The most interesting fact is that the name Big Ben
was originally given to the 13 ton bell that is in St.
Stephen's Tower which was installed at the northern
end of the Houses of Parliament. When the bell was completed
in 1859, it was then the largest bell in the United
Kingdom. It took a wagon team of 16 horses to bring
it to the tower. Eventually the name 'Big Ben' came
to indicate the clock itself. The clock tower originally
contained a small prison cell and the last person to
occupy the cell was Emmeline Pankhurst in 1902. The
clock is huge, the tower is 320 feet high and the clock
faces are 23 feet wide. The minute hands are 14 feet
long. The accuracy of the Clock is controlled using
old pennies.
There are a few ways to visit the Houses of Parliament.
1. UK citizens can contact their Member of Parliament
to arrange a visit.
2. Overseas visitors can contact aptg@touristguides.org.uk
to seek to arrange a tour guide and for advice about
arranging a visit- the guide will charge a fee for their
services.
3. All visitors, both UK
citizens and overseas visitors can visit the Strangers
galleries in both houses to see Parliament at work.
Entry is at St. Stephen’s Gate, where you can
join a queue for the public galleries, known as Strangers
Galleries.
Useful
Information:
Opening Timings
Debates in the commons
take place on:
Mon, Tue, & Thu from 14:30; Wed & Fri
from 9:30.
The busiest time to visit the House is during
Question Time. To attend Question Time you must
book a ticket through your MP or your embassy.
Question Time is on Mon.- Thurs. From 2-30pm -
3-30pm. Prime Minister’s Question Time is
on Wed. from 3pm - 3-30pm. The House of Lords
sit on Mon. - Wed. From 2-30; On Thurs. From 3pm;
If a sitting takes place on Friday it commences
at 11am.
Exceptions:
Both houses close at Christmas, Easter and from
August to mid October.
Directions
By Tube: Westminster
Station
By Rail: Charing Cross or Waterloo
By Bus: 3, 11, 24, 53, 77A, 211, 453
You can also walk here from Trafalgar Square, Picadilly
Circus & Charing Cross
Contact Info
Houses of Parliament
Palace of Westminster
Westminster
London
SW1A 0AA
