Palace of Westminister
Palace of Westminster is also known as the Houses of Parliament.
The history of the Houses of Parliament spans over 900 years from the Anglo-Saxons to the present
Let’s take a look what happened with the Palace since the middle Ages. Because of its location on the banks of the River Thames the Palace was strategically very important in that time.
Did you know, that the area where Palace was built had a different name in the middle Ages?
In medieval time the area was known as Thorney Island which in Anglo Saxon mean Thorn Island. Back in that time, the Thames was a much wider and shallow river, and two branches of one of its tributaries, the River Tyburn, created this island. Much of it was marshland and would have looked very different from the river today.
Canute the Great was the first who used this Palace for a royal residence during his reign (1016-1035). Canute the Great was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and part of Sweden.
The Palace had some changes during the centuries, but the main shape and the form of the Palace didn’t change since Canute began building here in the first half of the 11th century.
Soon after coronation of Edward the Confessor in 1042 Saxon monarch of England began building Westminster Abbey, which stands adjacent to the current Houses of Parliament. He also built a neighbouring palace, so that he was able to oversee the construction of his new Abbey. Westminster Abbey is a large Gothic church in the City of Westminster in London.
Soon after that, Thorney Island and the surrounding area became known as Westminster.
Did you know that the oldest existing part of the Palace dates from the reign of Wiliam I’s successor King William II?
Another important year in history of Westminster Palace is 1295 when the Model Parliament (first official Parliament of England) met for the first official meeting.
Did you know, that palace was once named as Palace of Whitehall?
In 1534 King Henry VIII acquired York Place from Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a powerful minister who had lost the King’s favour. King Henry renamed the palace in Palace of Whitehall and used this palace as his principal residence.
On 16 October 1834 a fire broke out in the Palace. The blaze, which started from overheated chimney flues spread rapidly throughout the medieval complex and developed into the biggest conflagration to occur in London since the great fire of 1666, attracting massive crowds. The fire lasted for many hours and destroyed most of the Palace In the resulting conflagration both Houses of Parliament were destroyed, along with most of the other buildings in the palace complex.
Westminster hall was saved thanks to fire-fighting efforts and a change in the direction of the wind. But most of the palace including the converted St. Stephen’s Chapel, the Lords Chamber, the Painted Chamber and the official residences of the Speaker and the Clerk of the House of Commons were damaged.
Westminster Hall and a few other parts of the old Houses of Parliament survived the blaze and were incorporated into the New palace of Westminster, which was built in the Gothic style.
Right after the fire, King William IV offered at that time almost completed Buckingham Palace to Parliament, hoping to dispose of a residence he disliked. The building was considered unsuitable for parliamentary use, and the gift was rejected. None of the alternative locations were appropriated for the Parliament so they waited until the palace was repaired. Works proceeded quickly and the chambers were ready for use by February 1835.
Recent History
During the German bombing of London during the Second World War, the Palace of Westminster was hit by bombs on 14 different occasions. One bomb fell into Old Palace Yard and severely damaged the south wall of St. Stephen’s Porch and the west front.
The worst moment for the Palace during the Second World War was the night from 10th to 11th May 1941 when the Palace took at least 12 hits which killed 3 people. The palace was completely renovated after bomb attacks until 1950.
The oldest part of the Westminster Palace is after the fire preserved Westminster hall
Some interesting fact about the Palace
The Palace covers 8 acres and has over 1.100 rooms connected with 3 miles of corridors, over 100 staircases and has its own gymnasium, shooting range and hair salon.
The biggest room in the Palace is the Royal Gallery which is nowadays used for important dinners, receptions and ceremonies. But in the past, it was used for trials.
Charles Barry is the architect whose design for reconstruction of the Palace won on thecompetition.
At the top of the pyramidal roof is a 73 ft. flagstaff, from which flies the Royal Standard when the Sovereign is present in the Palace.
The ground floor is occupied by offices, dining rooms and bars. The first floor also includes the debating chambers, the lobbies and the libraries.
Palace of Westminster is also known as the Houses of Parliament.
The history of the Houses of Parliament spans over 900 years from the Anglo-Saxons to the present
Let’s take a look what happened with the Palace since the middle Ages. Because of its location on the banks of the River Thames the Palace was strategically very important in that time.
Did you know, that the area where Palace was built had a different name in the middle Ages?
In medieval time the area was known as Thorney Island which in Anglo Saxon mean Thorn Island. Back in that time, the Thames was a much wider and shallow river, and two branches of one of its tributaries, the River Tyburn, created this island. Much of it was marshland and would have looked very different from the river today.
Canute the Great was the first who used this Palace for a royal residence during his reign (1016-1035). Canute the Great was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and part of Sweden.
The Palace had some changes during the centuries, but the main shape and the form of the Palace didn’t change since Canute began building here in the first half of the 11th century.
Soon after coronation of Edward the Confessor in 1042 Saxon monarch of England began building Westminster Abbey, which stands adjacent to the current Houses of Parliament. He also built a neighbouring palace, so that he was able to oversee the construction of his new Abbey. Westminster Abbey is a large Gothic church in the City of Westminster in London.
Soon after that, Thorney Island and the surrounding area became known as Westminster.
Did you know that the oldest existing part of the Palace dates from the reign of Wiliam I’s successor King William II?
Another important year in history of Westminster Palace is 1295 when the Model Parliament (first official Parliament of England) met for the first official meeting.
Did you know, that palace was once named as Palace of Whitehall?
In 1534 King Henry VIII acquired York Place from Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a powerful minister who had lost the King’s favour. King Henry renamed the palace in Palace of Whitehall and used this palace as his principal residence.
On 16 October 1834 a fire broke out in the Palace. The blaze, which started from overheated chimney flues spread rapidly throughout the medieval complex and developed into the biggest conflagration to occur in London since the great fire of 1666, attracting massive crowds. The fire lasted for many hours and destroyed most of the Palace In the resulting conflagration both Houses of Parliament were destroyed, along with most of the other buildings in the palace complex.
Westminster hall was saved thanks to fire-fighting efforts and a change in the direction of the wind. But most of the palace including the converted St. Stephen’s Chapel, the Lords Chamber, the Painted Chamber and the official residences of the Speaker and the Clerk of the House of Commons were damaged.
Westminster Hall and a few other parts of the old Houses of Parliament survived the blaze and were incorporated into the New palace of Westminster, which was built in the Gothic style.
Right after the fire, King William IV offered at that time almost completed Buckingham Palace to Parliament, hoping to dispose of a residence he disliked. The building was considered unsuitable for parliamentary use, and the gift was rejected. None of the alternative locations were appropriated for the Parliament so they waited until the palace was repaired. Works proceeded quickly and the chambers were ready for use by February 1835.
Recent History
During the German bombing of London during the Second World War, the Palace of Westminster was hit by bombs on 14 different occasions. One bomb fell into Old Palace Yard and severely damaged the south wall of St. Stephen’s Porch and the west front.
The worst moment for the Palace during the Second World War was the night from 10th to 11th May 1941 when the Palace took at least 12 hits which killed 3 people. The palace was completely renovated after bomb attacks until 1950.
The oldest part of the Westminster Palace is after the fire preserved Westminster hall
Some interesting fact about the Palace
The Palace covers 8 acres and has over 1.100 rooms connected with 3 miles of corridors, over 100 staircases and has its own gymnasium, shooting range and hair salon.
The biggest room in the Palace is the Royal Gallery which is nowadays used for important dinners, receptions and ceremonies. But in the past, it was used for trials.
Charles Barry is the architect whose design for reconstruction of the Palace won on thecompetition.
At the top of the pyramidal roof is a 73 ft. flagstaff, from which flies the Royal Standard when the Sovereign is present in the Palace.
The ground floor is occupied by offices, dining rooms and bars. The first floor also includes the debating chambers, the lobbies and the libraries.
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Tickets
Full price ticket | £ 16,50
Children (5-15 yrs.) | £ 7,00
Student (over 16 yrs.) | £ 14,00
Accompanying Child Under 16 yrs. | Free
Access
Rail and Underground
Visitors travelling on the London Underground can use the District, Circle or Jubilee lines to get to Westminster station, which is fully wheelchair accessible. Victoria, Charing Cross and Waterloo mainline stations are about 20 minutes away by foot and have connecting buses.
Buses
Buses stop near Parliament Square in Victoria Street (opposite the Houses of Parliament) and further up towards Trafalgar Square, in Whitehall. All buses in London are now wheelchair accessible.
Walking
If you're travelling by foot, you can access Parliament by Westminster and Waterloo bridges. Both are wheelchair accessible, as are the Golden Jubilee pedestrian bridges (the old Hungerford Bridge), which connect the South Bank with Victoria Embankment.
Bicycles
Members of the public cannot bring bicycles into the parliamentary estate. Public bicycle racks are a short distance away outside 7 Millbank. There are Cycle hire docking stations situated in Smith Square, which is a 5 minute walk away from Parliament, and on Abingdon Green, opposite Victoria Tower Gardens.
By car
Travelling by car will often be subject to the congestion charge. There is an underground car park opposite the Houses of Parliament operated by Q-Parks which has 183 spaces. It benefits from a secure vehicle and pedestrian entrance with CCTV, customer toilets and is manned during the week. A space can be reserved in advance using the Q-Park online pre-booking facility. Disabled parking spaces are located nearby in Great Peter Street, Smith Square, and by Methodist Central Hall on Matthew Parker Street. Meter parking is limited.
There is no designated area to drop off or pick up from the Houses of Parliament. If you need to do this, motorists can stop briefly just before the entrance to Victoria Tower Gardens, towards Millbank. Please be aware that, for security reasons, the police will quickly move you on.