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
275px The Palace of Westminster with Elizabeth Tower and Westminster Bridge, viewed from across the River Thames
Location	City of Westminster, London, England
Area	112,476 m2 (1,210,680 sq ft) (internal)
Built	1016
Demolished	1834 (due to fire)
Rebuilt	1840–70
Architectural style(s)	Perpendicular Gothic Revival
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Designated	1987 (11th session)
Reference No.	426
Country	United Kingdom
Region	Europe
Extensions	2008
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Houses of Parliament / The Palace of Westminster
Designated	5 February 1970
Reference No.	1226284

File:Westminster Hall edited.jpg

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. Westminster Palace is an example of Gothic Revival architecture.

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.

Palace Of Westminster Media

• Westminster in the time of Henry VIII.png

  Conjectural restoration of Westminster during the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547). St Stephen's Chapel is in the centre, with the White Chamber and Painted Chamber on the left and Westminster Hall on the right.

• Joseph Mallord William Turner, English - The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16, 1834 - Google Art Project.jpg

  J. M. W. Turner watched the fire of 1834 and painted several canvases depicting it, including The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons (1835).

• Old House of Commons.jpg

  The old chamber of the House of Commons was in use between 1852 and 1941, when it was destroyed by German bombs in the course of the Second World War.

• Big Ben from the Westminster Bridge.jpg

  View from the Westminster Bridge, highlighting the distinctive colour of the stonework

• Palace of Westminster Victoria Tower Gardens South 2020 Tower.jpg

  This is a photo of listed building number 1226284.

• 

  The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)

• View from Old Palace Yard of the Central Tower of the Palace of Westminster, London

• Cromwell Green, outside Westminster Hall, is the site of Hamo Thornycroft's bronze statue of Oliver Cromwell, erected amid controversy in 1899.

• 

  Layout of the principal floor, with north to the right. The Central Lobby is the octagonal space in the centre; the Commons chamber is to the north, with the Elizabeth Tower beyond. The Lord's Chamber is to the south, with the monarch's rooms beyond. Westminster Hall is to the west, at an angle.

Other websites

16x16px Media related to Palace of Westminster at Wikimedia Commons

• Parliament.uk, Palace of Westminster
• Westminster Abbey website
• St Margaret's Church Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine

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