Parliament's Gothic Revival palace beside the Thames, built around medieval Westminster Hall, with Big Ben in its clock tower
Open to visitorscheck opening times and admission before you go
Kings of England lived on this site from the 11th century, and the oldest part left is Westminster Hall, built in 1097 for William II and later given a vast hammerbeam roof, a timber roof braced on brackets so the hall needs no pillars. A fire in 1512 drove the monarch out, but Parliament, which had met here since the 1200s, stayed. In 1834 a far bigger fire destroyed most of the palace. Westminster Hall was saved, and Charles Barry, with Augustus Pugin designing the detail, rebuilt the rest in Gothic Revival style over about 30 years from 1840. The clock tower at the north end, named the Elizabeth Tower in 2012, holds the great bell called Big Ben.
When the Houses are sitting, anyone can queue for a free seat in the public galleries to watch debates. Paid guided and audio tours run on Saturdays and most weekdays in the recesses, and UK residents can ask their MP for a free tour. Together with Westminster Abbey next door, the palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Westminster Underground station is opposite, and Waterloo is about 900 m away across Westminster Bridge.
