London - Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament are officially known as the Palace of Westminster, recalling the fact that they occupy the site of a former royal palace, originally built by Edward the Confessor and enlarged by William the Conqueror and William Rufus. Westminster Hall was built by William Rufus (1097-99). The whole palace was destroyed by a catastrophic fire in 1512, with the exception of Westminster Hall, the 14th century St Stephen's Chapel and the Crypt. Until 1529, when Henry VIII acquired the neighboring Whitehall Palace, the Palace of Westminster was a royal residence. In 1547 it became the seat of Parliament, the House of Commons meeting in St Stephen's Chapel and the House of Lords in a hall at the south end of Old Palace Yard. In 1605 a group of Roman Catholics led by Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament; and to this day, before the state opening of Parliament, the vaults are searched by Yeomen of the Guard in their traditional uniform. The present Houses of Parliament - in neo-Gothic style to harmonize with the nearby Westminster Abbey - were built between 1840 and 1888 to the design of Sir Charles Barry. They were officially opened in 1852. After World War II the House of Commons and other parts of the buildings were rebuilt in the original style. When Parliament is sitting (mid October-July), visitors can attend debates in the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Visitors enter by the St Stephen's entrance (queuing necessary before a major debate).

Charles Barry was assisted by A. W. Pugin, Britain's great proponent of Gothic revival architecture.