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The Palace of Westminster originally served as a royal residence, with the first palace constructed in the 11th century, very likely for Canute the Great, who reigned from 1016 to 1035. Restoration of the palace took place in the 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII when St Stephen's Chapel, seen here in the center of the engraving, dominated the whole site. The White Chamber and Painted Chamber are seen on the the left and Westminster Hall on the right. Westminster Abbey appears in the background.
In 1512, a fire destroyed the royal residential area of the palace. Henry VIII subsequently relocated the royal seat to the Palace of Whitehall. Although Westminster officially remained a royal palace, it was used by the two Houses of Parliament and by the various royal law courts. The oldest surviving palace building from this medieval period is Westminster Hall, erected in 1097 by King William II, also known as William Rufus.
In the mid-16th century after having occasionally conducted parliamentary business in Westminster Abbey, the House of Commons acquired a permanent home at the palace in St Stephen's Chapel. The chapel was subsequently used by the Commons for the next three centuries. The abbey and the Palace of Westminster are seen here, viewed from the River Thames in 1647.
Westminster Hall has played a pivotal role in the history of the British nation since the 11th century. The magnificent hammer-beam roof, commissioned in 1393 by Richard II, is the largest medieval timber roof in Northern Europe. Over the centuries it has been used for a variety of historic events including banquets, coronations, and political displays.
The House of Lords, meanwhile, convened in what was known as the Painted Chamber. Built in the 13th century during the reign of Henry III, the chamber was used for meetings until the Lords moved to the Lesser Hall or White Chamber in 1801. The Painted Chamber was gutted by fire in 1834 and demolished in 1851.
Another part of the medieval Palace of Westminster, the White Chamber was the meeting place of the House of Lords from 1801 until it too was damaged by fire in 1834. It later served as the temporary home of the House of Commons until 1851, when it was pulled down for the building of the new Palace of Westminster.
This is what the Palace of Westminster looked like in 1815. The original Westminster Bridge is at left, and the roof of Westminster Hall at center.
St Stephen's Chapel was largely destroyed in the fire of 1834, but the the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the crypt survived. Today, the site is occupied by St Stephen's Hall.
St Stephen's Chapel is the forgotten heart of the Palace of Westminster. For 700 years it was at the center of political and religious life of the nation. In the 16th century, it began serving as the debating chamber of the House of Commons.
The medieval royal Palace of Westminster went up in flames on October 16, 1834. It wasn't the first time the building had fallen victim to fire, having been damaged in 1263, 1298, and 1512. But this time the damage was colossal.
Flames took hold on the palace and swiftly spread through the entire building, producing a firestorm not seen since the Great Fire of London of 1666. Fortunately, Westminster Hall survived, as did the Undercroft Chapel and the Cloisters of St Stephen's. These structures would all be incorporated into the new complex.
It was later ascertained that the blaze was caused by the burning of small wooden tally sticks, which had been used as part of the accounting procedures of the Exchequer until 1826. Tally sticks were a method of accounting for loans and payments. Notches were cut into wooden sticks according to a code representing sums of money, date, payee, and other information. The sticks were then split down the middle ,with the Treasury keeping one half and the debtor the other. When the debt was due to be paid, the two halves were matched to see if they 'tallied.' If they did not, this was evidence of fraud.
The man tasked with building the new Palace of Westminster was Charles Berry, who was commissioned after winning a design competition.
Berry nominated fellow architect Augustus Pugin as his assistant, whose prime responsibilities were designing the palace interior and the iconic clock tower.
While work on the palace exterior continued, the House of Lords had its first sitting in the new chamber in 1847. In 1852, the Commons was finished, and both Houses sat in their new chambers for the first time.
Although much of the palace was completed by 1860, construction on the building was not finished until a decade afterwards. In this 1857 photograph, the medieval Westminster Abbey is seen in the foreground with construction work on the new Palace of Westminster behind. Scaffolding around the Clock Tower (also known as St Stephen's Tower during the reign of Queen Victoria), which houses the famous Big Ben, can be seen on the left.
Another 1857 photograph, this one showing the top of the Victoria Tower and the Clock Tower clad in scaffolding, seen from the South Bank of the River Thames.
At 98.5 m (323 ft), the Victoria Tower is the tallest tower in the Palace of Westminster. Named after Queen Victoria, it was for many years the tallest and largest stone square tower in the world. Crowning the tower is an iron flagstaff from which flies the Union Flag or, when the Sovereign is present in the palace, the Royal Standard.
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. The name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. It's arguably the world's most famous clock.
The palace's clock tower stands 96 m (316 ft) and is one of the most recognized landmarks in the world. In 2012, it was renamed Elizabeth Tower to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
During the London Blitz of May 10–11, 1941, an incendiary bomb hit the chamber of the House of Commons and set it on fire; another set the roof of Westminster Hall alight. A bomb also struck the Lords Chamber, but went through the floor without exploding.
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.
The Commons Chamber was rebuilt after the war, with construction lasting until 1950. Pictured is the gothic Speaker's chair. Designed by Augustus Pugin, the original was lost during the war. A replica, replete with a canopy of silk damask with gold thread, was presented to the British Parliament by the Australian Parliament, who'd taken possession of a similar chair in 1926.
After 1945, work also began on the renovation of the Lords Chamber. The Lords reoccupied it in May 1951.
The State Opening of Parliament is an annual event of pomp and ceremony that formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It includes a speech from the throne known as the Queen's Speech (or King's Speech) and takes place in the House of Lords.
Recent notable events in the palace's history include the televised ceremonial handing over of the new Chamber of the House of Commons in Westminster Hall on October 26, 1950, an event attended by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
In November 1989, the first televised session of the Commons was beamed live into households around the country. Pictured is the Mace, which is placed on the table of the House of Commons while the House is in session and is a symbol of the authority of the Speaker as presiding officer of the House.
Sources: (UK Parliament) (Royal Museums Greenwich)
In 1965, British statesman Winston Churchill was only one of two non-royals in the 20th century to be granted the privilege of lying in state in Westminster Hall, the other being Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts. Such an honor is usually reserved for the Sovereign and for their consorts.
The Gunpowder Plot was a failed attempt to assassinate King James I of England during the opening of Parliament in November 1605. Pictured is conspirator Guy Fawkes (1570–1606) attempting to plant gunpowder in the cellar of the Palace of Westminster.
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is one of Great Britain's most recognized buildings. Located in London overlooking the River Thames, there's been a palace on this site since the 11th century, though what you see today dates back to 1870 when a new palace was completed after a devastating fire in 1834. The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The palace, together with Westminster Hall and Elizabeth Tower—home to Big Ben—are among the most popular historical attractions tourists elect to visit during their stay in the capital. So, are you planning to peruse the Palace of Westminster?
Click through and catch up on 900 years of history before you do.
Surprising facts about the Palace of Westminster
Two houses, one great landmark
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The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is one of Great Britain's most recognized buildings. Located in London overlooking the River Thames, there's been a palace on this site since the 11th century, though what you see today dates back to 1870 when a new palace was completed after a devastating fire in 1834. The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The palace, together with Westminster Hall and Elizabeth Tower—home to Big Ben—are among the most popular historical attractions tourists elect to visit during their stay in the capital. So, are you planning to peruse the Palace of Westminster?
Click through and catch up on 900 years of history before you do.