Big Ben and Houses of Parliament

The correct name for the Houses of Parliament is the Palace of Westminster, which was built in 1040 by Edward the Confessor and was the main Royal residence in London until Henry VIII moved to Whitehall.

The present building dates from the 1800's and took 20 years to complete. It was built by Charles Barry, who is buried in Westminster Abbey.

It is the largest Gothic building in the world - there are over 1,000 rooms and two miles of corridors in it. In the centre stands Westminster Hall, the only part of the original building that survives.

Many great treason trials have taken place in Westminster. In 1305, Braveheart was sentenced to death here and in 1606 Guy Fawkes, the man who tried to blow up Parliament, met a similar fate.

It is possible to visit the public gallery of the Houses of Parliament for free (although you will have to pass security checks and may have to queue a while).

Did You Know?

Though many people think Big Ben (pictured) is the name of the tower with the famous clockface, it is actually the name of the bell within it.

Big Ben is named after the Commissioner of Works, Sir Benjamin Hall, who was in charge of construction of the clock. He was heavily criticised by politicians over the problems he had in building it.

The bell's familiar ring is caused by a crack which appeared in 1859, within a few months of the bell being installed. The bell was re-cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry Company but soon cracked again. It has never been repaired.

When the light above Big Ben is illuminated, Parliament is sitting.

forward to Parliament Square | back to Westminster tide recorder