What is another name for the Palace of Westminster. Parliament

The Palace of Westminster has 1200 rooms, 100 staircases and 5 kilometers of corridors. Anyone can observe the work of the House of Commons and the House of Lords - the premises of Parliament are open all week at different times of the day. Line up at St. Stephen's Gate and after passing through several security checkpoints, you can reach the visitor's gallery.

In August and September, when Parliament is closed, you can take a guided tour of the entire building.

Of the palace towers, the most famous clock tower is the Elizabeth Tower, most often called Big Ben, although this is actually the name of the 13-ton bell ringing in the chiming system. Big Ben is known all over the world, and the tower is a universally recognized symbol of London. Perhaps the best view of the Houses of Parliament is from the south side, from the river, and at night the illuminated towers and spiers look extremely romantic.

Story

In the 11th century, Edward the Confessor built the first Palace of Westminster on the banks of the Thames. All monarchs lived here until Henry VIII, who had to move from Westminster after the fire. Since then it has housed the parliament. In 1834, the old palace burned down again, leaving only the Palace Hall and the Jewel Tower. After the fire, it was decided to rebuild the complex, and as a result, the building acquired its present appearance with the famous Gothic spiers.

The address: UK, London, Westminster area
Start of construction: 1840
Completion of construction: 1860
Architect: Charles Barry, Augustus Welby Northmore
Coordinates: 51°29"58.6"N 0°07"27.9"W

Short description

View of the palace from the ferris wheel

Quite recently, one of the sociological services conducted a rather interesting and strange, at first glance, study. The company's specialists visited most of the shops and small shops of the city, where they calculated the percentage of ... fridge magnets, which depict the main sights of London. Surprisingly, 85% of these popular inexpensive souvenirs depict the Palace of Westminster in London. Strange, strange, if only because in the capital of Great Britain there is also Buckingham Palace, in which the legendary Queen of England lives, the London Eye, and a huge number of attractions. But the overwhelming majority of tourists are invited to keep the memory of the capital of the United Kingdom, nevertheless, through the Palace of Westminster.

Before a trip to London, you can not even rely on the statistics of sociological services, do not pay attention to tourist brochures, just go to any social network and look at the photos of your friends who have already visited the capital of England. There is no doubt that most of their London photos were taken with the Palace of Westminster in the background. Near the building where the Parliament of England sits, as mentioned above, there is always a huge crowd of people. It seems as if a festival of the peoples of the world is taking place next to the Palace of Westminster.

View of the palace from the opposite side of the Thames

Different speech is heard from everywhere: English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese and Russian merge into a single, non-stop rumble. All this once again proves that the Palace of Westminster is not only one of the main attractions of England, but without a doubt, of the entire vast Old World.

Palace of Westminster - ancient history and legendary event

The first Palace of Westminster, according to surviving documents, was built in an uninhabited and marshy area in 1042. It was erected by order of the rulers of the kingdom instead of the Tower, which, with the expansion of the city, in some incredible way ended up in the most impoverished quarter of the capital. One has only to imagine what the authorities of the capital experienced among the poor, who still "smelled badly." This state of affairs simply forced the main building of the city to be moved away from the impoverished "rabble" of London. How could monarchs rule a country in such a terrible place? A new residence in a swampy area, from the windows of which the position in which England found itself in those distant times was not so clearly visible, was almost completely completed by 1042. Immediately after the completion of its construction, King Edward and his family moved there. Looking ahead a little, I would like to immediately note that the old building had nothing in common with the modern majestic Palace of Westminster, which is a symbol of London and which is captured in tens of thousands of paintings and professional photographs.

View of the palace from the Lambeth Bridge

The Palace of Westminster was constantly growing: already 45 years after its completion, it was decided for the son of the legendary William the Conqueror to attach Westminster Hall to the architectural structure. The son of the great commander, who won many victories over his enemies in his lifetime, was called William the Red II. It was this man who decided that the palace must necessarily have the most luxurious hall in which it would not be a shame to arrange magnificent receptions and even conduct coronation ceremonies in front of representatives of other countries. In addition to these ceremonies, by order of William the Red II, Westminster Hall began to constantly hold meetings of the highest judicial authority in England - the Supreme Court of the country. By the way, Westminster Hall, built a little less than 1,000 (!) years ago, is the only building that has survived to this day. According to modern architects, Westminster Hall was designed and built in the Gothic style. By the way, even the most ordinary tourist who has absolutely nothing to do with architecture can easily determine this: it is enough to compare only Westminster Hall and other buildings of the palace.

View of the Palace from Westminster Bridge

The Palace of Westminster is interesting not only for its architecture (whether new or old). In the distant 13th century, a very important document was signed here, which played a key role in the formation political structure England. It is under this document that many prestigious colleges currently teach students what a modern, secure, democratic state should look like and how to get rid of bureaucracy and tyranny. It was in the 13th century that King John of England, under pressure from the public, signed a decree that went down in history as the Magna Carta.

Naturally, there was no talk of any anarchy in it. All the "liberties" consisted in the fact that the king was deprived of the right to rule the country alone: ​​since the 13th century, many important decisions regarding foreign and domestic policy were made by the parliament, which was elected by the people! Monarchs have become only a kind of symbol of the country, something like a coat of arms or a flag. Even taxes were introduced and calculated by the parliament, which was just the same salvation for the impoverished population of the country. For this reason, the Palace of Westminster can be considered not only the “visiting card” of London, its main attraction, a monument of architecture and history, but also a symbol of the constitutional parliamentary monarchy. It is this model of power that is currently considered the most effective in the world.

Westminster Bridge with the Palace of Westminster in the background

It is possible to talk about the construction of the Palace of Westminster and its expansion for an infinitely long time: the people constantly supported the improvements of the building, because the parliament sat there, which at one time saved it from the arbitrariness of the monarchs. The thing is that in 1834, almost the entire Palace of Westminster, built in 1042 ..., burned to the ground. Until the 19th century from the past majestic building, where the Parliament of England met, two buildings remained: the same Westminster Hall and the Jewel Tower. Truth, last room, which served as a treasury, was built only in the 14th century, by order, and then by its subsequent approval by Parliament (!), King Edward III.

Palace of Westminster - a new story

Restoring the building for Parliament was an urgent matter: immediately after the fire, the British government announced a competition for the best plan for the new Palace of Westminster. It was won without much difficulty by Charles Barry, who presented a grandiose and unique project of its kind. True, Barry was well aware that it was impossible for him to cope with all the work alone, so he enlists the cooperation of Augustus Welby Pugin, with whom he builds the very Palace of Westminster, the view of which any tourist visiting the capital of England can enjoy today.

View of the palace at night

According to the plan of Charles Barry, a new building for the parliament was decided to be built in neo-Gothic (new Gothic style). To say that the construction of the Palace of Westminster took place in record time and "without a hitch" would not be true. There were difficulties, and they constantly arose before the architects and the huge number of workers involved in the construction of the facility. The construction site had to be prepared for more than three years, and the construction of the Palace of Westminster itself took just over 48 years (from 1840 to 1888).

Over such a long period of time, not only the Palace of Westminster was rebuilt, but St. Stephen's Tower, which can be found in our time on a huge number of posters, calendars and other printed materials. For those who have not yet been brought to London, and who are too lazy (or maybe just didn’t have time) to get acquainted with its history and sights, we’ll clarify that St. Stephen’s Tower is the very famous and legendary Big Ben. Of course, almost every civilized inhabitant of our planet knows about this name of the tower.

By the way, despite the fact that the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben were built relatively recently, there is no exact evidence of where the name of St. Stephen's Tower "Big Ben" came from. There are only versions, and versions, as you know, are quite easy to refute.

View of the eastern facade of the palace

Some historians claim that Benjamin, by the name of Hall, affectionately called Ben, was a huge foreman in the construction of the Palace of Westminster and St. Stephen's Tower. Others claim that Big Ben got its "nickname" in honor of the popular boxer. However, the most interesting and, at the same time, the most confusing version says that the tower was named after one representative of the parliament. His name, by the way, was also Benjamin and his last name was Hall. He went to the podium and began to explain for a long time how to call the clock tower. He talked for so long that he himself was confused in historical facts, and no one was listening to his mumbling. Finally, after an hour and a half, he ended his tirade, which had no meaning as such. Parliament breathed a sigh of relief and one of its members asked the speaker a question: "So what do you propose in the end?". Benjamin Hall was confused, and someone shouted: "Let's name the tower after this long and tedious speech - Big Ben!" The joke was accepted with a bang and the tower got its name. Which of these three versions to believe, everyone decides for himself. It is worth repeating, not a single official evidence in favor of this or that opinion has been found today.

Before the clock was installed on the tower of St. Stephen, quite a long time passed. The delays were connected with the requirements of the London authorities. The clock should lag behind or advance no more than 1 second per day. All the most respected watchmakers simply laughed at such a condition: 19th century technology simply did not allow the creation of a giant clock that had to be placed on a high tower and run with extreme accuracy. Only Edmund Beckett Denison took up the development of the plan, who managed to fulfill all the requirements in five years. The clockwork of Big Ben did not lag behind by more than a second a day. By the way, the weight of the watch designed by Edmund Beckett Denison is just over 5,000 kilograms.

A bit of official information will not hurt either: the height of St. Stephen's Tower or Big Ben (as you like) is almost 96 and a half meters. Many may think that this is the tallest building architectural ensemble called the Palace of Westminster. However, this opinion is far from the truth, tall tower Palace is the Victoria Tower, its height is 102 meters. In some tourist brochures, another figure is indicated - 98.4 meters, but it has nothing to do with reality. The tower, named after Victoria, was built so huge with only one purpose, to fit in it the entire archive of documents considered by the Parliament of England. Big Ben and the Victoria Tower, however, like other rooms, are made entirely of refractory materials: the 1834 fire at the Palace of Westminster has forever remained in the memory of Londoners.

View of the Palace from Parliament Square

During World War II, the Palace of Westminster in London became a prime target for Nazi pilots.. To hit him with a bomb was an honor for every Luftwaffe ace. For this reason main character London, where Parliament met and where Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his fiery speeches, was seriously damaged. The Palace of Westminster, which, as mentioned above, is a symbol of the constitutional parliamentary monarchy, was completely reconstructed in 1950. It cannot be said that the building was only slightly damaged, on the contrary, the damage to the Palace of Westminster was serious: it was possible to revive it completely in 5 years only thanks to the huge budget and the heroism of the English workers. Alas, the bombs also hit the legendary Big Ben. The clock mechanism "gave a serious failure", it began to lag behind by as much as 2 seconds a day. The British eliminated the problem quite quickly and simply: they only did that they attached a coin to a huge pendulum. The weight of just one penny affected Big Ben's clock, and it again ticked with extreme precision.

Palace of Westminster in London - short tour

The phrase " short tour” in the subtitle of the material does not mean at all that there is nothing to see in the Palace of Westminster. On the contrary, it is simply not possible to describe all its rooms, luxurious halls, corridors and, of course, Big Ben in one article. Trying to find a palace on our vast planet that could be compared with Westminster is a thankless task: it has no equal and, as they say modern architects, will not be in the foreseeable future.

View of the east front of the palace from Westminster Bridge

11 courtyards, each of which is unique, just over 100 staircases, corridors with a total length of more than five kilometers and 1,200 (!) Rooms - where else in the world can you find such a scale and such splendor? The area of ​​the palace is huge, but thanks to the Neo-Gothic style, it does not seem like a massive bulk, on the contrary, it gives the impression of “lightness” and organically fits into modern London. Although, it would be more correct to say that modern London is in harmony with the Palace of Westminster.

Parliament, which is perhaps the most famous in the whole world, consists of two houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords of England. They are located at different ends of the building and are interconnected by several giant halls at once, between which there are also corridors. It takes a long time to get from one chamber of the Palace of Westminster to another. However, the journey through these halls and corridors turns into the most real tour by the museum! The walls of the rooms connecting the chambers are decorated with wall paintings. Most of the paintings, which depict almost the entire history of Foggy Albion, starting from the reign of King Arthur, belong to the brushes of the most famous artists in the world. They, according to art critics and numerous guides, have no price - they are priceless.

Monument to Richard the Lionheart

You can talk about sculptures, stunning stucco and gold decoration for an infinitely long time. It is simply impossible to describe all 1,200 rooms and numerous corridors in any material or even a cycle of television programs. It is only necessary to note that the richest and most beautiful room in the entire Palace of Westminster is the House of Lords of England. It is in it that important decisions for the country are considered (but not yet taken) and it is there that the Lords deliver their fiery speeches. There is no speaker in the House of Lords, his role is played by a bag of wool. For those who do not know, in ancient times England was the main exporter of sheep's wool, which brought the lion's share of income to its budget. In memory of these times, the "Speaker" of the House of Lords was made an ordinary "scrap of wool".

It was decided to decorate the House of Commons a little more modestly: after all, the Lords do not sit there. This is where the most important decisions for the country are made. Representatives of the ruling party and the opposition sit in the House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster. Between these lodges a distance is specially made, which is equal to the length of two swords extended in the hand. As many have already guessed, the architects provided for this “corridor” not by chance: in this way, representatives of the opposition and the ruling party will not be able to hit the opponent with a sword. Fists in England in the House of Commons do not beat political opponents, yet we are talking about a country in which the constitutional parliamentary monarchy has won, and the representatives of the people in the House of Commons are somewhat different from the deputies sitting in their halls in the post-Soviet space.

victoria tower

By the way, in 2004 it was decided to open the Palace of Westminster to the people. Tourists who come to London will be able to personally see all the magnificent halls and even observe how efficiently the Lords work in their rich chamber. Not hidden from prying eyes and the workflow in the House of Commons. True, it is boring to watch the representatives of this chamber: you will not see fistfights, or throwing eggs, or explosions of firecrackers there.

While the Lords and representatives of the communities are resting, one should definitely see the legendary and preserved Westminster Hall, built for the son of William the Conqueror. By the way, it was in this building that a memorial service for the “greatest Briton” in the history of Foggy Albion, Winston Churchill, took place at one time.

The London Parliament Building is one of the most beautiful buildings in the UK. The Palace of Westminster is huge: it stretches along the banks of the Thames, and total area its corridors exceed 5 km.

But he is much more than beautiful building in the neo-Gothic style, this is one of the symbols of the power of Great Britain, it is here that the chambers of the government of Britain are located, and the fate of the country is decided here.

History of the palace

The Palace of Westminster has existed for almost a thousand years (it began to be built in the 11th century), although it has been rebuilt many times and has expanded significantly since that distant time.

The first palace here was built for Canute the Great, king of England, Denmark and Norway. Half a century later, the building underwent reconstruction, it was then that the famous Westminster Hall was built, which has survived to this day.

Westminster Hall

This is the most elegant hall and the heart of the palace. A couple of centuries later, a new chamber was added to the hall, where the meeting of the first Parliament of England took place in 1265, and it sits here to this day. At first, members of the royal family also lived in the Palace of Westminster, and in the 16th century they moved to Whitehall, and the building was completely taken over by Parliament.

Everything went well, the palace grew, got upset and gained its grandeur ... until a fire broke out in 1834. Then the building was badly damaged, but, fortunately, the oldest part of it - Westminster Hall - was not touched by the fire. After that, the building was subjected to a global reconstruction, the restoration work was carried out by the architect Charles Barry, it is thanks to him that now millions of tourists and local residents admire this masterpiece of architecture.

Interesting facts about the Palace of Westminster

Fact #1. The Palace of Westminster has almost 5 kilometers of corridors, 1,100 rooms and 100 staircases.

Fact #2. In fact, Big Ben is not the name of a tower or even a clock, but a huge bell inside.

The bell was named after Benjamin Hall, the building curator. According to another version, it is named after boxer Benjamin Count.

Fact #3. The Elizabeth Tower (in which, in fact, Big Ben is located) had several names: the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, sometimes it was called the Tower of St. Stephen, and in 2012 it was renamed in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II.

Fact #4. No animals are allowed in the Houses of Parliament, with the exception of guide dogs. So there are a lot of mice here. In special cases, horses and police dogs can be allowed in here.

Fact #5. Westminster Hall was part of ancient building, which burned down in 1834, this is where the royal family once lived.

Fact #6. The Palace of Westminster has its own restaurants, a library, a gym, a shooting range, souvenir shops and even a hairdresser's.

Fact #7. Many echoes of the past have been preserved in the building: for example, in some rooms there are still hooks designed for hanging swords, and here you can also see floor markings on which swords were placed.

Fact #8. The Royal Gallery is one of the largest rooms in the palace.

It hosts the official opening of Parliament, as well as receptions of dignitaries, important dinners and ceremonies. And once there was a room for trials.

Fact #9. In the sitting room of the House of Lords, all the furniture is predominantly red, and in the House of Commons - green.

It also has furniture from Commonwealth countries. By the way, the Commonwealth countries adhere to the same tradition: in Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand, the upper chamber is decorated in red, the lower - in green.

Fact #10. The area of ​​the Palace of Westminster is 112,476 square meters.

Fact #11. Elizabeth Tower is one of the most visited attractions in London.

Fact #12. The tallest tower in the Palace of Westminster is the Victoria Tower.

Its height is 98.5 meters. If the monarch is within the walls of the palace, then this can be recognized precisely by this tower: the official flag of the king flutters on its flagpole. On other days the British flag is raised.

Fact #13. The Palace of Westminster is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (together with Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's Church).

Fact #14. The construction of the Palace of Westminster in the 19th century took 30 years with periodic funding delays and cost overruns. In addition, two leading architects died during this period. Interior decoration work continued into the 20th century.

Fact #15. During World War II, 14 bombs hit the Palace of Westminster.

Fact number 16. Within the walls of the palace, obscene swearing, which can offend the dignity of parliament, is officially prohibited. Members of Parliament also cannot insult their colleagues or accuse them of anything.

Fact #17. The only place where the Queen of Great Britain is not allowed is the House of Commons. This tradition dates back to 1642 when Charles I tried to arrest five members of the House for anti-royalist views.

Fact #18. Since the 17th century, it has been forbidden to smoke or drink alcohol within the walls of the palace.

The Palace of Westminster, or the Houses of Parliament, one of the most famous buildings in the world, is undoubtedly a symbol and decoration of London. It houses the stronghold of English democracy, the British Parliament: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

This building arose in 1840-1860 on the site of an old palace burned down in 1834, which by that time was a combination of the most diverse buildings. However, during the fire, they managed to save, in addition to the badly damaged crypt under the chapel of St. Stephen, the most architecturally valuable part of the old palace - westminster hall. Fate turned out to be merciful to him for the second time: the hall survived during the devastating bombing of German aircraft in May 1941, when the adjacent hall of the House of Commons was destroyed.

For modern London Westminster Hall is the best and most expressive monument of medieval secular architecture. Started in 1097, it was rebuilt at the end of the 14th century. Henry Yevel, a talented London mason, laid out the walls. The famous wooden floors were built with the participation of the royal carpenter Hugh Erland.

Westminster Hall covers an area of ​​1800 square meters. Its height is 28 meters. This is one of the most grandiose medieval halls known in architecture. Western Europe, whose wooden roof is also not supported by any supporting pillars. The span of the hall, 21 meters wide, is covered with carved oak open rafters, supported by a complex system of wooden brackets that are strongly extended forward. The shape of these overlaps is difficult to describe.

In 1965, England solemnly celebrated the 750th anniversary of the Magna Carta, usually referred to in Latin as Magna Carta, and the 700th anniversary of the English Parliament. However, despite its ancient origin and widely known outside the country, the House of Commons did not have its own residence for a long time. It was necessary to hold meetings in the ancient Westminster Hall or to share the territory of the Chapter Hall of Westminster Abbey with its owners-monks. It was only in 1547 that the parliament received a permanent residence in the chapel of St. Stephen of the old Palace of Westminster. In order to adapt the chapel of the 13th-14th centuries to the procedure of parliamentary sessions, it had to be completely built up with benches and galleries, which distorted the architectural appearance of the hall. In addition, the entrance to the chapel lay through Westminster Hall, where the Supreme Court of England sat. And yet, despite these inconveniences, the House of Commons met in the chapel of St. Stephen until the fire of 1834, which again left it without a permanent meeting place.

By the summer of 1835, a special commission presented its recommendation - to build a new palace in the old place. According to legend, the choice of location was also largely determined by the consideration that, being on the banks of the Thames, the parliament building, in the event of popular unrest, could not be surrounded by a revolutionary crowd. It was recommended to build the palace in the Gothic or Elizabethan style.

The Houses of Parliament is the most significant creation of the architect Barry. And although it caused the most controversial judgments and assessments, this did not prevent it from immediately becoming one of the city's attractions. Attention is drawn to the correctly found proportion of the main volumes of such a significant structure in its scale. If you look at it from afar, the almost classical rigor and wide scope of its facades, and at the same time, the picturesqueness of its outlines as a whole, invariably impresses. The mighty, square in plan, Victoria Tower and the huge clock tower, asymmetrically located in the northern and southern parts palace, give it a unique identity. Together with a small tower with a spire, placed above the central hall, they not only decorate it, but also balance the huge length of the facades with their height.

The Victoria Tower, rising 104 meters in height, marks the royal entrance to Parliament. During the session, the British national flag is raised on it. The clock tower is 98 meters high. It is better known as St. Stephen's Tower. It has a clock mechanism, which is highly accurate. We can say that this is the “main clock” of the state. A huge bell "Big Ben" specially cast for the tower, weighing 13.5 tons, strikes the clock. The fight of Big Ben is constantly broadcast by English radio stations. The watch got its name from Benjamin Hall, one of the construction leaders. During the parliamentary session, with the onset of darkness, a searchlight is lit on the tower.

The British Empire erected for its parliament a building of rare splendor and size even according to the tastes of that time. Reference books give figures: 3.2 hectares of area, 3 kilometers of corridors, 1,100 rooms, 100 stairs ... Of course, dry numbers do not reveal artistic merits or demerits Palace of Westminster, but to some extent they testify to the complex layout of the building, which was affected by the features of the parliamentary structure, and the traditions that have long accompanied meetings, and the daily business life of the English Parliament.

Of greatest interest is the interior of the House of Lords. Decorative techniques found in the interior decoration of the entire palace reach their climax here. The ceiling is completely covered with images of heraldic birds, animals, flowers, etc. The walls are lined with carved wooden panels, above which there are six frescoes. Eighteen bronze statues of the barons who won Magna Carta from King John stand in the niches between the windows, looking out over the inlaid canopy of the royal throne, the rows of pews covered in bright red leather, the famous sofa of the Lord Chancellor. This sofa recalls a long tradition: the Lord Chancellor used to sit in parliament on a wool sack, symbolizing the foundations of British trade and wealth. The original wool sack has now become a museum exhibit, but the tradition has remained: the chairman of the House of Lords, dressed in a black and gold robe, in a lush white wig, opens the meetings of the House sitting on a soft sofa.

In 1605, Guy Fawkes, who led the Gunpowder Plot, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Since then, on November 5 of each year, the guards, dressed in ancient costumes, with lanterns and halberds, search the cellars and nooks and crannies of the palace, although it is well known in advance that they will not find any barrels of gunpowder in these rooms. Moreover, the search is going on in the new building of the palace, built already two and a half centuries after the “gunpowder plot”.

In 1987, the palace and the nearby church of St. Margaret were honored to be included in the List world heritage.

If the meeting of the House of Commons ends late at night, then even now, under the vaults of the palace, you can hear the exclamation: “Who is going home?” In ancient times, the dark streets of London were far from safe, and parliamentarians preferred to return home in large groups. Now the building of the Palace of Westminster and the surrounding streets are flooded with bright electric light, and comfortable cars are waiting for members of parliament at the entrances. However, "Who's going home?" still sounds like centuries ago. And there are a great many such traditions observed in Westminster today. The most important of these is the annual, lavish and elaborate opening ceremony of the parliamentary session, attended by the queen, all members of the government and deputies of both chambers.

View from the Thames westminster hall

Palace of Westminster

The building of the British Parliament (Houses of Parliament) in, known to our compatriots also under another name - the Palace of Westminster (Palace of Westminster), is currently the seat of two parliamentary chambers of England: the House of Lords (House of Lords) and the House of Commons (House of commons).

Palace of Westminster in London: the history of Parliament and the present

The most famous landmark of the Houses of Parliament is its tower - the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, better known as Big Ben ( Big Ben).

The Palace of Westminster began to serve as a stronghold of the monarchy in the middle of the 11th century, when King Edward the Confessor moved the royal court here and the apartments of the monarchs were located in the center of London, near the River Thames.

In 1265, the British Parliament was created, consisting of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords has always met in the Palace of Westminster, but the House of Commons at that time did not have a permanent seat for meetings.

In 1530, the residence of the king (at that time it was Henry the Eighth) was moved to Whitehall Palace, and the House of Lords continued its meetings in the Palace of Westminster. It wasn't until 1547 that the House of Commons also moved into the palace and Westminster was given the status of the central seat of government. This state of affairs continues today.

If you want to see the Houses of Parliament from a full perspective, then you need to visit the London Eye (London Eye), the city's Ferris wheel - you will have a magnificent view of the capital and the new Palace of Westminster. "Why new?" - you ask. Unfortunately, in 1834, a fire destroyed almost the entire building, only the Jewel Tower, the crypt, St. Stephens Monastery and Westminster Hall survived.

To rebuild the palace anew, an architectural competition was specially held. As a result, Sir Charles Barry (Sir Charles Barry) and his assistant Augustus Welby Pugin (Augustus Welby Pugin) received the right to develop an architectural project for the restoration of Westminster, which was successfully done by them. The palace rose from the ashes in the same Gothic, and now in the Neo-Gothic style, and added to the ensemble those architectural structures that survived the fire. The construction took 30 years, in 1870 it was completely finished.

Today, the Palace of Westminster includes:

• Clock Tower
• Victoria Tower
• House of Commons
• House of Lords
• Westminster Hall (Westminster Hall)
• Lobby

The address: Westminster, London SW1A 0AA, United Kingdom, tel. +44 20 7219 3000

Big Ben

Also known as Big Ben. But in fact, the correct name is the Clock Tower, on top of which is the largest clock in England. The elegant design of the creator of Big Ben - Charles Barry still impresses the imagination.

Initially, it (the Clock Tower) was called St. Stephen's Tower, but was soon renamed and received the name of the largest bell placed inside it - Big Ben. If you walk in the evening in the center of London and see that in The light on the top of Big Ben lit up, which means that Parliament is working in the Government building - the Palace of Westminster.

House of Commons and House of Lords

The building that housed the Commons Chamber was destroyed during the Second World War and was rebuilt in 1950 by Giles Gilbert Scott, today you can admire the neo-Gothic style of the new House of Commons.

If we consider and compare the interior decoration of the halls of the chambers, then immediately there is a feeling that the interiors of the House of Commons, made in green tones, look rather modest and austere compared to the interiors of the Lords Chamber.

The time that has passed since the formation of the Parliament of England was more favorable to the House of Commons: today there is a great influence on decisions regarding the future of the country, passions boil here, and the ruling party sits opposite the opposition at a distance of exactly two swords, at a distance of one human foot which makes parliamentarians to be self-possessed and persistent.

Central Lobby

In this room - the Central Lobby - people who came to defend their interests before the government and parliament gather, it is here that you can make a speech and convince the parliament to take this or that decision, which is necessary either for ordinary citizens of the country, or for some sector of the economy, or territorial community. For the fact that in this building every citizen of Britain can declare the protection and satisfaction of their interests, it was called the Lobby, from the English verb "to lobby" - to lobby, protect interests.

Victoria Tower

The tower opposite Big Ben is called the Victoria Tower. It was built in 1860 and houses the archives of parliamentary decisions dating back to 1497. The Flag of the United Kingdom is raised above this tower during parliamentary sessions (its height is 98 meters).