Monkey
December 5th, 2004, 01:53 AM
Houses of Parliament
Westminster, London
Height: 102m (Victoria Tower), 96m (The Clock Tower) and 80m (Central Tower)
Built: 1859
Architect: Sir Charles Barry, assisted by Augustus Pugin
Interior designer: Augustus Pugin
Construction Company: Grissell & Peto
Links:
http://www.parliament.uk/
Live webcasts from the UK Parliament (http://www.parliamentlive.tv/)
Virtual Tour of Parliament (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2000/parliament/default.stm)
Images of Parliament (http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hcio/images.cfm)
Skyscrapers.com listing (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/cx/?id=100267)
The Bell ... (http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/wavworld/email/bigben.wav) :)
History:
The Palace of Westminster, on the banks of the River Thames, is the home of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, which, together with the Queen, form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is also known as the Houses of Parliament.
Buildings have occupied the site since at least Saxon times, though the oldest buildings still in existence date from about 1097. Edward the Confessor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor) established the origins of the present buildings by building a royal palace on the site from 1050, and until 1529 Westminster was the main London residence of successive monarchs. A fire in that year caused Henry VIII (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII) to decamp from the Privy Palace at the south end of the site, to the Palace of Whitehall. Despite this, it remains a royal palace to this day.
On January 20, 1265 the first meeting of the first English parliament, summoned by Simon de Montfort (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_de_Montfort%2C_6th_Earl_of_Leicester), was conducted here, and - with some short vacations - has sat here ever since. The House of Commons made its first permanent home in St Stephen's Chapel, a part of the palace. It has therefore been at the centre of English and then Union government as it progressed from a monarchy to a parliamentary democracy and so has lent its name to the parliamentary system of government known as the Westminster System. And now for more than 900 years this very impressive assemblage of Gothic buildings has been the home of the English government and more recently the centre of the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Indeed, it is true that no other place so potently symbolises democracy in the Western world more than this very old establishment.
Much of the ancient structures were destroyed by fire on October 16, 1834, and rebuilt by 1870, when the Parliament moved into their current residences.
The Current Palace
The Palace of Westminster occupies a site of approximately 3.24 hectares (8 acres) on the west bank of the Thames. The site is bounded to the east by its 266 metres (872ft) waterfront, and to the west by Parliament Square and Millbank. To the north is Portcullis House, a modern office building for MPs and their staff, and beneath which is Westminster tube station. To the south is the Victoria Tower Gardens, a small triangle of park between Millbank and the Thames.
The building has approximately 1,000 rooms, 100 staircases, and two miles of passageways. Although some parts of the building, such as Westminster Hall predate the 1834 fire, much of the present structure is from the 1870 construction. Some notable parts of the building include (from north to south):
The 96m high slim Clock Tower, undoubtedly the most famous feature, and housing the bell known as Big Ben, from which the Clock Tower is colloquially, but inaccurately named.
The House of Commons and the House of Lords, separated by their respective Lobbies, and by a Central Lobby, are at the heart of the building.
Above Central Lobby is what appears to be a smaller tower. This is, in fact, the extract chimney for the ventilation of the building and reaches 300ft above the lobby.
Victoria Tower is the square tower to the south west of the building, the tallest part of the palace, rising 102m.
Westminster Hall (http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hcio/westminster.cfm), erected 1097-1099 by William Rufus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rufus), is the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster. It measures 240ft by 60ft (73m x 18m), and was the largest in Europe for many years. The roof (1394-1398), built on the orders of Richard II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_II_of_England), is the world's finest and largest surviving hammer-beam roof. The hall has served many functions, notably as the site of the highest court in the land until 1882. The United Kingdom's lyings-in-state take place here: William Gladstone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gladstone) (1898), King George VI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI) (1952), Queen Mary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Teck) (1953), Sir Winston Churchill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill) (1965), Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bowes-Lyon) (2002).
The design of the present buildings was the result of a national competition, and was the work of Sir Charles Barry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Barry) assisted by Augustus Pugin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Pugin). The building is, according to the art historian Pevsner, in the Tudor Perpendicular style and combines Picturesque elements with Gothic detail.
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament1.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament2.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament4.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament6.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament7.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament10.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament9.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament8.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/bigben1.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament12.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/bigben2.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament15.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament13.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament14.jpg
Westminster, London
Height: 102m (Victoria Tower), 96m (The Clock Tower) and 80m (Central Tower)
Built: 1859
Architect: Sir Charles Barry, assisted by Augustus Pugin
Interior designer: Augustus Pugin
Construction Company: Grissell & Peto
Links:
http://www.parliament.uk/
Live webcasts from the UK Parliament (http://www.parliamentlive.tv/)
Virtual Tour of Parliament (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2000/parliament/default.stm)
Images of Parliament (http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hcio/images.cfm)
Skyscrapers.com listing (http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/cx/?id=100267)
The Bell ... (http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/wavworld/email/bigben.wav) :)
History:
The Palace of Westminster, on the banks of the River Thames, is the home of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, which, together with the Queen, form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is also known as the Houses of Parliament.
Buildings have occupied the site since at least Saxon times, though the oldest buildings still in existence date from about 1097. Edward the Confessor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor) established the origins of the present buildings by building a royal palace on the site from 1050, and until 1529 Westminster was the main London residence of successive monarchs. A fire in that year caused Henry VIII (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII) to decamp from the Privy Palace at the south end of the site, to the Palace of Whitehall. Despite this, it remains a royal palace to this day.
On January 20, 1265 the first meeting of the first English parliament, summoned by Simon de Montfort (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_de_Montfort%2C_6th_Earl_of_Leicester), was conducted here, and - with some short vacations - has sat here ever since. The House of Commons made its first permanent home in St Stephen's Chapel, a part of the palace. It has therefore been at the centre of English and then Union government as it progressed from a monarchy to a parliamentary democracy and so has lent its name to the parliamentary system of government known as the Westminster System. And now for more than 900 years this very impressive assemblage of Gothic buildings has been the home of the English government and more recently the centre of the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Indeed, it is true that no other place so potently symbolises democracy in the Western world more than this very old establishment.
Much of the ancient structures were destroyed by fire on October 16, 1834, and rebuilt by 1870, when the Parliament moved into their current residences.
The Current Palace
The Palace of Westminster occupies a site of approximately 3.24 hectares (8 acres) on the west bank of the Thames. The site is bounded to the east by its 266 metres (872ft) waterfront, and to the west by Parliament Square and Millbank. To the north is Portcullis House, a modern office building for MPs and their staff, and beneath which is Westminster tube station. To the south is the Victoria Tower Gardens, a small triangle of park between Millbank and the Thames.
The building has approximately 1,000 rooms, 100 staircases, and two miles of passageways. Although some parts of the building, such as Westminster Hall predate the 1834 fire, much of the present structure is from the 1870 construction. Some notable parts of the building include (from north to south):
The 96m high slim Clock Tower, undoubtedly the most famous feature, and housing the bell known as Big Ben, from which the Clock Tower is colloquially, but inaccurately named.
The House of Commons and the House of Lords, separated by their respective Lobbies, and by a Central Lobby, are at the heart of the building.
Above Central Lobby is what appears to be a smaller tower. This is, in fact, the extract chimney for the ventilation of the building and reaches 300ft above the lobby.
Victoria Tower is the square tower to the south west of the building, the tallest part of the palace, rising 102m.
Westminster Hall (http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hcio/westminster.cfm), erected 1097-1099 by William Rufus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rufus), is the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster. It measures 240ft by 60ft (73m x 18m), and was the largest in Europe for many years. The roof (1394-1398), built on the orders of Richard II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_II_of_England), is the world's finest and largest surviving hammer-beam roof. The hall has served many functions, notably as the site of the highest court in the land until 1882. The United Kingdom's lyings-in-state take place here: William Gladstone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gladstone) (1898), King George VI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI) (1952), Queen Mary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Teck) (1953), Sir Winston Churchill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill) (1965), Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bowes-Lyon) (2002).
The design of the present buildings was the result of a national competition, and was the work of Sir Charles Barry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Barry) assisted by Augustus Pugin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Pugin). The building is, according to the art historian Pevsner, in the Tudor Perpendicular style and combines Picturesque elements with Gothic detail.
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament1.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament2.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament4.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament6.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament7.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament10.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament9.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament8.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/bigben1.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament12.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/bigben2.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament15.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament13.jpg
http://www.willfox.com/images/skyscrapers2/parliament14.jpg