Palace of Westminster | London Titbits
The Palace of Westminster or if you prefer its other name the Houses of Parliament – a place I like to refer to as the heartbeat of England. I suppose I could have said the heartbeat of the United Kingdom, but I know us Scots, the Welsh and Northern Irish would see it somewhat differently and quite rightly so!
Earlier on this year I was fortunate enough to get myself onto the tour of the Houses of Parliament and a wonderfully interesting tour it was too – what a buzz. I may well do this one again next year. There is so much to take in on the tour that my mind couldn’t absorb it all on one visit.
The Palace of Westminster was originally built in the eleventh century as the London residence of the Kings of England until 1512, when much of the place was destroyed by fire. From around 1510 St Stephens Chapel had been used as a meeting room for the House of Commons and the House of Lords had used another room. After the fire of 1512 the Palace was no longer used as a royal residence. Another fire in 1834 virtually destroyed the whole Palace – they sure didn’t have much luck with fire did they? And during World War II the Commons Chamber was hit by a bomb and burnt out.
The present day Houses of Parliament building, and of course Big Ben, were designed by Sir Charles Berry and Augustus Pugin in the Gothic Revival style, in my humble opinion one of the most beautiful buildings in London and believe me it is just as impressive inside! Get yourself onto this tour, it is worth every penny.
Palace of Westminster | London Titbits
1. The Palace of Westminster was built for Edward the Confessor in the 11th century as a London home for him.
2. During the Reign of Henry VIII in 1512 a large part of the Palace burnt down and this was when its role as a Royal residence ended.
3. On 16 October 1834 another and even more devastating fire virtually destroyed the Houses of Parliament, the only structures to survive were Westminster Hall, Chapter House of St Stephens, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, the cloisters and the Jewel tower. An overheated stove which was used to destroy the Exchequer’s stockpile of tally sticks set fire
4. After the fire of 1834, the reconstruction of the Houses of Parliament contract was won by architect Charles Berry, who would be assisted by Augustus Pugin, who built it in the Gothic Revival Style. The construction of the home of Government in UK began in 1837 and finished in 1860. Both men failed to live long enough to see the project completed.
5. There are around 1,100 rooms in the present day Palace and the total area the building covers is 8 acres. The façade of the Palace, which runs along the north bank of the River Thames is 872 feet long.
6. In 1987, the Palace of Westminster, along with nearby Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret’s Church was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, and rightly so. These buildings are pure history and stunning pieces of architecture.
7. There are seemingly 19 bars in the Palace and unfortunately during the tour I was on, I never got to visit any, which was so unfair.
8. The oldest surviving part of the Palace of Westminster, is Westminster Hall, which was erected in 1097. When I stood in this great hall it was an amazing feeling – an impressive place to say the least.
9. On November the 5th 1605 Guy Fawkes and his merry band of hard done by Catholics planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament, the dastardly plot was of course foiled. Nowadays thanks to this failed plot, we have young teens trying to cause mayhem with fireworks. Thanks a bunch Guy Fawkes!
10. The Houses of Parliament are of course more than just a tourist attraction, even though there are quite a few clowns that are members of both the two parliamentary houses inside, which are the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament is of course home of the UK Government, where dodgy deals and some more dodgy deals are made!
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It is impressive how many changes the Palace of Westminster underwent during its history. And it is a real shame you weren’t able to visit any bar! I would have been very curious to see a photo of them.