Palace of Westminster: History and Overview

Overview

• The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
• It is located in London, England.
• It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament, named after the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
• "Westminster" has become a metonym for the UK Parliament and the British Government.
• The Westminster system of government commemorates the palace's name.
• The Elizabeth Tower, nicknamed Big Ben, is a landmark of London and the UK.
• The palace has been a Grade I listed building since 1970.
• It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

History

• Originally constructed in the eleventh century as a royal palace.
• It served as the primary residence of the kings of England until 1512.
• A fire in 1512 destroyed the royal apartments.
• The monarch moved to the adjacent Palace of Whitehall.
• The remainder of the palace continued to serve as the home of the Parliament of England, which had met there since the 13th century.
• In 1834, a second, larger fire destroyed the majority of the palace.
• The twelfth-century Westminster Hall was saved and incorporated into the replacement building.

Design and Construction

• Charles Barry won the competition to design the new palace.
• Barry chose a Gothic Revival style for the building.
• Construction started in 1840 and lasted for 30 years.
• Construction suffered delays, cost overruns, and the deaths of Barry and his assistant, Augustus Pugin.
• The palace contains chambers for the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the monarch.
• It has a floor area of 112,476 m2 (1,210,680 sq ft).
• Extensive repairs were made after the Second World War, including rebuilding the destroyed Commons chamber.
• The palace is in urgent need of major repairs despite further conservation work.