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The Royal residence of Westminster, additionally known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Royal Residence, in London, England is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the UK (the House of Lords as well as the House of Commons) fulfill to conduct their organization. The Palace pushes the north bank of the River Thames in the London district of the City of Westminster, close by various other government buildings in Whitehall. The palace originally acted as a royal house yet no monarch has stayed in it because the 16th century. A lot of today framework days from the 19th century, when the Palace was rebuilt after it was almost entirely damaged by a fire in 1834. The engineers responsible for reconstructing the Royal residence were Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin.


Among the Royal residence's most famous attributes is the clock tower, a vacationer destination that houses the famous bell Large Ben. The last name is typically made use of, erroneously, for the clock itself. The Palace consists of over 1,000 spaces, one of the most important of which are the Chambers of the Home of Lords as well as of the Residence of Commons.


It is the website of important state ceremonies, most notably the State Opening of Parliament. The Palace is extremely closely related to both Houses, as revealed by the use of the word "Westminster" to refer to "Parliament". Parliamentary offices overspill into neighboring structures such as Portcullis House, as well as Norman Shaw Structures.


, yet later moved to Westminster. Neither the structures made use of by the Saxons nor those used by William I endure.

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The predecessor of Parliament, the Curia Regis (Royal Council), satisfied in Westminster Hall (though it complied with the King when he relocated to other palaces). The Design Parliament, the very first official Parliament of England, fulfilled in the Palace in 1295.


Essential state ceremonies, consisting of the State Opening of Parliament, were held in the Painted Chamber. Your House of Lords typically fulfilled in the White Chamber. Your House of Commons, however, did not have a chamber of its very own; it in some cases held its discussions in the Chapter Residence of Westminster Abbey.


The Chantries Act 1547 (passed as a component of the Protestant Improvement) dissolved the spiritual order of the Canons of St Stephen's (to name a few institutions); thus the Church was left for the Commons' usage. Changes were made to St Stephen's Church for the comfort of the lower Home. On 16 October 1834, most of the Royal residence was damaged by fire.


A Royal Compensation was designated to examine the restoring of the Palace and made a decision that it ought to be rebuilt on the very same site, and also that its style needs to be either Gothic or Elizabethan. A heated public discussion over the proposed designs occurred. In 1836, after examining 97 rival proposals, the Royal Compensation selected Charles Barry's strategy for a Gothic design royal residence.

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The stone, however, quickly started to degeneration due to contamination as well as the low quality of some of the stone made use of. Such defects were clear as very early as 1849, nothing was done for the remainder of the 19th century. During the 1910s, nevertheless, it came to be clear that several of the stonework had actually to be changed.


The task started in the 1930s however was halted as a result of the 2nd World Battle, and also finished only during the 1950s. By the 1960s pollution had my link actually once more begun to take its toll. A rock conservation and restoration program to the external elevations and also towers began in 1981, and finished in 1994. palace of westminster ap art history quizlet.


Sir Charles Barry's Palace of Westminster consists of numerous towers. The tallest is the 98 m (323 feet) Victoria Tower, a square tower at the south-western end of the Palace.




At the base of the Victoria Tower is the Sovereign's Entrance to the Palace. The monarch uses this entry whenever entering the Royal residence of Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament or for any type of various other official ceremony. Over the center of the Royal residence exists St. Stephen's Tower, additionally called the Central Tower.

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Unlike the other towers, St Stephen's Tower has a spire. A small tower is placed at the front of the Royal residence, between Westminster Hall and Old Palace Backyard, and also has the primary entrance to the Residence of Commons at its base, recognized as St.


The largest and most famous of well-known bells is Big Ben Hugeofficially, formally Great Bell of Westminster), which strikes the hour. The term "Large Ben" correctly refers only to the bell, it is often informally used to the whole tower.


Victoria Tower Gardens is open as a public park along the side of the river south of the royal residence. Black Rod's Garden (called after the workplace of Gentleman Usher of the Black Pole) is shut to the public as well as is utilized as a private entry. Old Palace Backyard, before the Royal residence, is paved over and covered in concrete safety and security blocks (see safety and security below).

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Previously, the Palace was managed by the Lord Great Chamberlain, as it was (and also officially stays) a royal house. In 1965, nonetheless, it was chosen that each Residence should regulate its very own spaces.