Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom meet.

Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster with Elizabeth Tower and Westminster Bridge, viewed from across the River Thames
The Palace of Westminster with Elizabeth Tower and Westminster Bridge, viewed from across the River Thames
LocationCity of Westminster, London, England
Area112,476 m2 (1,210,680 sq ft) [1] (internal)
Built1016
Demolished1834 (due to fire)
Rebuilt1840–70
Architectural style(s)Perpendicular Gothic Revival
Official name: Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, iv
Designated1987 (11th session)
Reference No.426
CountryUnited Kingdom
RegionEurope
Extensions2008
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Houses of Parliament / The Palace of Westminster
Designated5 February 1970
Reference No.1226284[2]
Westminster Hall and its hammerbeam roof, in the early 19th century. The Hall is the only original piece of Gothic architecture in the Westminster Palace. The rest is Gothic revival.

In 1605, Guy Fawkes attempted to blow the Palace up. He was caught and later executed. This was called the Gunpowder Plot, and is celebrated on 5 November every year.

The original building was used as a palace and home to the Parliament of England. After a fire in 1834, the building was used as a Parliament building.

Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3] Westminster Palace is an example of Gothic Revival architecture.[3]

The building is in bad shape. There have been falling stonework, 10 fires, and an incident of potential asbestos exposure since 2020. There are leaking pipes and a serious risk of fire. The water, electric, sewage and gas pipes need to be replaced. To do this work the politicians would have to move to somewhere else.[4]

Palace Of Westminster Media

References

  1. "Palace of Westminster: Factsheet" (PDF). Restoration and Renewal. Houses of Parliament. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  2. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1226284)". National Heritage List for England (NHLE). Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. 3.0 3.1 UNESCO, "Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church"; retrieved 2012-4-21.
  4. Fisher, Lucy (2023-07-31). "MPs are stuck as UK parliament crumbles around them". Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/4b450ac8-6211-4063-8cb4-bfc98cbe8d69. Retrieved 2023-07-31. 

Other websites

  Media related to Palace of Westminster at Wikimedia Commons