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Location:
Europe,
United Kingdom, London
Category:
City
/ Famous Landmark
Description:
View over the River Thames of
Westminster Bridge, Big Ben and the
Houses of Parliament
Location Information:
The
Palace of Westminster, also known as
the Houses of Parliament or
Westminster Palace, is the meeting
place of the two houses of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom - the
House of Lords and the House of
Commons. It lies on the north bank
of the River Thames in the heart of
the London borough of the City of
Westminster, close to the historic
Westminster Abbey and the government
buildings of Whitehall and Downing
Street. The name may refer to either
of two structures: the Old Palace, a
medieval building complex most of
which was destroyed in 1834, and its
replacement New Palace that stands
today; it has retained its original
style and status as a royal
residence for ceremonial purposes.
The first royal palace was built on
the site in the eleventh century,
and Westminster was the primary
London residence of the Kings of
England until a fire destroyed much
of the complex in 1512. After that,
it served as the home of Parliament,
which had been meeting there since
the thirteenth century, and the seat
of the Royal Courts of Justice,
based in and around Westminster
Hall. In 1834, an even greater fire
ravaged the heavily rebuilt Houses
of Parliament, and the only
structures of significance to
survive were Westminster Hall, the
Cloisters and Chapter House of St
Stephen's, the Chapel of St Mary
Undercroft and the Jewel Tower.
Local
Weather:
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