Palace of Westminster . Residence of the English Parliament, it was a convent, until between 1050 and 1065 , Edward the Confessor had it expanded, ordering a residence to be built for himself near the Thames, which was the first Palace of Westminster. In 1066 , William the Conqueror was crowned in the Abbey and was able to meet with the Court in the Palace, which was used as a royal residence and seat of Parliament until the 16th century . Henry VIII abandoned it in 1529 for Whitehall and St. James’s Palace. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the Palace on October 16, 1834 almost completely. The reconstruction was commissioned by the architect Sir Charles Barry with the collaboration of Augustus Pugin, with a unique perpendicular Gothic style in order to preserve the symmetry with the Chapel of Henry VII of the neighboring Westminster Abbey. The works began in 1840; the House of Lords was completed in 1847, and the House of Commons in 1850.
Summary
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- 1 History
- 2 Description
- 1 Exterior
- 2 Masonry
- 3 The Clock Tower
- 4 Gardens
- 5 The plan of the Palace
- 3 Construction
- 4 Curiosity
- 5 See also
- 6 Sources
History
The site of the Palace of Westminster was known in medieval times as Thorney Island, strategically important due to its location on the banks of the River Thames. Thorney Island is said to have been the royal residence of Cnut the Great (reigned 1016-1035). The penultimate Saxon monarch of England , Edward the Confessor, built a royal palace on Thorney Island, around the same time he was building Westminster Abbey (1045 to 1050). Thorney Island and the surrounding areas later became known as Westminster, a contraction of the words “west” and “monastery” which in Spanish would mean: the church of the west. William of Normandy, cousin and successor of Edward the Confessor, settled in the Palace of Westminster after defeating Harold of Wessex in 1066, during the Norman Conquest of England and after staying for a time in the newly built Tower of London .
William I , later known as the Conqueror, chose Westminster Abbey for his coronation as King of England. Although William probably made some changes to the palace, it was only during the reign of his son William Rufus that Westminster Hall, the Great Hall, was built at the north end of the palace and still stands after 900 years. of use. The existence of this hall, the largest at the time, helped make Westminster the ceremonial center of the kingdom. The Palace of Westminster was the main residence of monarchs in the medieval period. Because of this, as the government of England evolved, many public institutions were established in Westminster. For example, Parliament’s predecessor, the Curia Regis (Royal Council), met in Westminster Hall, although it followed the king when he moved to other palaces. The Model Parliament, England’s first official parliament, met at the palace in 1295 .
Since then, almost all parliaments meet in the palace. Although, for different reasons, some parliaments have met elsewhere. Detail from Map of London in 1746 by John Rocque. Since the Palace was originally designed as a royal residence, it did not include any special halls for the nascent chambers of parliament (the House of Lords and the House of Commons). Many important state ceremonies, including the State Opening Ceremony, were held in the King’s private apartment, the Painted Hall. The House of Lords began to meet in the White Chamber. However, the House of Commons did not have an assigned room for its meetings, so sometimes they held their meetings in the Painted Hall and other times they took their debates to the Chapter House (completed in 1259) or the Refectory of the Westminster Abbey. The Palace of Westminster had become the preferred residence of British monarchs, but in 1529 a fire broke out that destroyed much of the structure.
In 1530 , King Henry VIII acquired York Palace from Thomas Wolsey , a powerful minister who had lost the king’s confidence. Henry VIII renamed the palace Whitehall Palace and used it as his main residence ever since. Although Westminster officially remained the royal palace, it began to be used primarily by the two Houses of Parliament and as a Court of Justice. In 1550, during the reign of Edward VI, Henry VIII’s successor, the Commons were given a permanent home in the Palace, in St. Stephen’s Chapel, a former royal chapel. The Act of Chantries of 1547 (part of the Protestant Reformation) had dissolved the religious order of the Canons of St. Stephen (among other institutions), leaving the Chapel free for the use of the Commons. Subsequently, at the request of the Commons some alterations were made to St. Stephen’s chapel. JMW Turner observed the fire of 1834 and painted many canvases depicting it, including The Burning of the Houses of Parliament ( 1835 ).
On October 16 , 1834, a fire that started in the House of Lords due to an overheating stove destroyed most of the palace. The fire was observed by thousands of people, including journalists and artists such as JMW Turner who made spectacular paintings as a visual record of this historic moment. Only Westminster Hall, the Jewel Tower, the crypt of St. Stephen’s Chapel and the cloisters survived the fire. Because of this, in 1835 a Royal Commission was appointed to study the reconstruction of the palace. The commission decided that the palace should be rebuilt on the same site and that its style should be Gothic or classical. A heated public debate ensued about the proposed styles. Interest in medieval European culture, known as Gothical Revival (neo-Gothic style), had gained strength during the 18th century and early 19th century . On the other hand, due to the continuing wars with France , the Gothic style had become the British national style, as opposed to the classical style (derived from Greek and Roman cultures) associated with France during the French Revolution . Furthermore, the Gothic style had religious resonance like the style of the great medieval cathedrals.
For all these reasons, the Gothic architectural style was considered the most appropriate for the reconstruction of the palace. In 1836, after studying 97 proposals, the Royal Commission chose Charles Barry’s plan for a Gothic-style palace. The proposal included maintaining and rebuilding the rooms that survived the fire (such as Westmister Hall). The foundations of the Palace were laid in 1840 , the House of Lords was completed in 1847 and the House of Commons in 1852 (at this point Barry received a knighthood). Although most of the work was done in 1860 , construction was not completed until a decade later. The Palace of Westminster continued to function normally until 1941 , when the House of Commons was destroyed by German bombs during the Second World War . This time, Sir Giles, Gilbert Scout was commissioned as architect. He chose to preserve the essential features of Sir Charles Barry’s design. Work on the House of Commons ended in 1950.
Description
The façade of the emblematic structure anticipates a promising route, it is difficult to imagine how imposing some of its rooms are, most of them are particularly elongated, decorated with paintings that are up to 15 meters long. The details present throughout the tour: on the ceiling, walls, furniture, lamps and works of art. All profusely decorated with exquisite taste. The Palace of Westminster is the largest parliament building in the world. It has 1200 rooms, 100 stairs and more than 3 km of corridors. There is the House of Lords and the Chamber of Commons, less luxurious, the commons are elected by the people, and there are 646 members.
Abroad
Charles Barry won the competition for the design and construction of the new Palace of Westminster due to his innovative plan, which also considered incorporating Westminster Hall and the other medieval buildings that survived the fire of 1834. His design used the Perpendicular Gothic style, directly associated with Westminster due to its use in Henry VII’s chapel at Westminster Abbey. Since Barry was a classical architect, in the execution of the design and construction he was advised by the Gothic architect Augustus Pugin particularly in the matter of details, accessories and furniture. The site where the construction of the new palace would take place had an approximate area of 80 acres, even reaching the edge of the River Thames, thus occupying recovered land.
Masonry
Barry led a team of experts to select the type of stone to use in the construction of the palace. After some trips around the country, they decided on Anstone, a sand-coloured, high-magnesium limestone from the village of Anston in South Yorkshire. The first stone of the construction was laid on August 27 , 1840 and by May 12 , 1860 , the date on which Barry died, most of the work had been completed. However, Barry himself had detected in 1849 that he had some problems with the type of stone chosen. In 1861 a Committee of experts determined that the crumbling of the stone was due to atmospheric pollution in London and the quality of the stone. Until 1913 nothing was done to investigate or prevent the collapse. However, from this year until 1926, up to 200 tons of stone were removed from the exterior of the palace, leaving it without its characteristic decorations. In 1928 , it was deemed necessary to use Clipsham stone, a honey-coloured limestone from Rutland, to replace the failing Anstone.
The project began in 1930 , but had to be interrupted during World War II, and was completed in 1950 . However, in 1960 it became evident that pollution was once again affecting the external structure of the palace. Due to this, in 1981 the Labor Office began a complex restoration and conservation program (RCC Stone Restoration Programme) that was carried out in eight stages, each of which covered the façade of a specific section of the palace. The restoration work was completed in 1994 . Towers Sir Charles Barry’s Palace of Westminster includes many towers. The tallest is the Victoria Tower , which measures 98.5 m (323 ft) and is a square tower located southwest of the palace. The tower was named after the reign of Victoria I and during the reconstruction of the palace. This tower is home to the House of Lords Record Office (also known as The Parliament Archive), which, despite its name, has custody of the records of both houses of Parliament. At the top of the Victoria Tower there is a metal flagpole, where the Royal Standard flies if the British Monarch is present in the palace or, otherwise, the Union Flag.
At the base of the Victoria Tower is the Monarch’s Entrance to the palace. The monarch always uses this entrance to enter the Palace of Westminster for ceremonial events such as the State Opening Ceremony of Parliament. Near the center of the palace lies the Central Tower, which measures 91 m (300 ft) high, the smallest of the three main towers of the palace. Unlike the other towers, the Central Tower has a pinnacle. It is located above the Central Lobby and is octagonal in shape. Its original function was to serve as a high-level air intake. A small tower stands at the front of the palace, between Westminster Hall and the old palace courtyard, and at its base contains the main entrance to the House of Commons, known as St. Stephen’s Gate. This is one of the few remaining parts of the original Palace of Westminster from medieval times, which was incorporated into the new building structure, and which now contains offices for some Members of Parliament and Labor Party MPs.
Clock Tower
On the northwest side is the most famous of the towers. St. Stephen’s Tower or Clock Tower, which measures 96 m (316 ft) high. The Clock Tower houses a large clock known as the Great Westminster Clock, which has a face for each of the four faces of the tower. The Tower also contains five bells, which ring the Chimes of Westminster every quarter of an hour. The largest and most famous of the bells is Big Ben (officially, the Great Bell of Westminster), which rings every hour, and which is also the third heaviest bell in England, weighing 13 tons 10 cwt 99 pounds (about 13.8 tons). Although the term “Big-Ben” refers only to the bell, it is often mistakenly applied to the clock.
Gardens
There are some small gardens surrounding the Palace of Westminster. Victoria Tower Gardens is open to the public and is located next to the River Thames . Black Rod’s Garden ( named after Black Rod’s office) is closed to the public and is used as a private entrance. The Courtyard of the Old Palace, in front, is paved and covered with concrete blocks for safety. Cromwell Green (also opposite and now closed for the construction of the new visitor centre), the New Palace Courtyard (on the north side) and Speaker’s Green (just north of the palace) are private gardens and closed to the public. College Green, located in front of the House of Lords, is a small triangular green area used for television interviews with politicians. Inside
The plan of the Palace
The Palace of Westminster has nearly 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 5 kilometers of corridors. The building has four floors; The ground floor includes offices, dining rooms and bars. The “first floor” (known as the main floor) houses the main rooms of the palace, including chambers, halls and libraries. The Robing Room, the Royal Gallery, the Prince’s Chamber, the Lords’ Chamber, the Peers’ Lobby, the The Central Lobby, the Members’ Lobby and the Commons’ Chamber are distributed in a straight line on this floor, from south to north, following the order mentioned above. (Westminster Hall is next to the House of Commons, at one end of the Palace). The two upper floors are occupied with meeting rooms and offices. Formerly, the palace was officially controlled by the Lord Great Chamberlain as his royal residence. However, in 1965, it was decided that each chamber would be responsible for its own halls.
The Speaker and the Lord Speaker (formerly the Lord Chancellor) exercise control in their respective chambers. The High Lord Chamberlain retains custody of certain ceremonial halls. The House of Lords, drawing by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson for Ackermann’s Microcosm of London (1808-11). This chamber burned in the fire of 1834 . The House of Lords is located in the southern part of the Palace of Westminster. The lavishly decorated hall measures 14 by 24 m (45 by 80 ft). The seats in the chamber, as well as the other furniture on the side of the palace assigned to the Lords, are red. The upper part of the chamber is decorated by stained glass and six allegorical frescoes representing religion, chivalry and the law. The upper part, the observers’ gallery, features a small curtain, approximately 10 inches (25 cm) high. This was built in 1920 to hide the ankles and calves of the women attending the observers’ gallery. Fashion was becoming more liberal, so the view of female calves was deemed inappropriate by the Lords.
At one end of the chamber is the canopy and the golden throne; Although the Monarch could theoretically occupy the Throne in any session of Parliament, he or she only uses it during the Opening Ceremony of Parliament. Other members of the Royal Family attending the Opening Ceremony use gala chairs near the Throne. In front of the Throne is the Woolsack, a seat without backrest or arms filled with wool, representing the historical importance of the commercialization of wool. The Woolsack is worn by the presiding delegate of the House of Lords (the Lord Speaker since July 2006, but historically it was the Lord Chancellor or a deputy). The House’s ceremonial mace, representing royal authority, stands behind the Woolsack. At the front of the Woolsack are the Judges’ Woolsacks (large red cushions occupied by the king’s Lords during the Opening Ceremony) and the Chamber Table (where the officials sit). House members occupy red seats located on three sides of the chamber. The seats to the Lord Speaker’s right form the Spiritual Side, and those to his left form the Temporal Side.
The Spiritual Side is occupied by the spiritual LORDs (archbishops and bishops of the Church of England). Temporary Lords (nobles), however, sit according to the party to which they belong: members of the ruling party sit on the Spiritual Side, while those of the opposition sit on the Temporal Side. Some Lords who are not affiliated with any party sit in seats in the middle of the chamber on the opposite side of the Woolsack. The House of Lords is the site of important ceremonies, the most important of which is the State Opening of Parliament ceremony, which takes place at the beginning of the annual parliamentary sessions. The Sovereign, seated on the Throne, gives his Throne Speech, summarizing the Government’s legislative agenda for the next parliamentary session. The Commons do not enter the chamber, but can watch the events from the Chamber Bar, located just above the Chamber. A similar ceremony is performed at the end of the parliamentary session, however normally the Sovereign does not attend this ceremony and is represented by a group of Lords Commissioners.
The House of Commons, drawing by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson for Ackermann’s Microcosm of London (1808-11). This chamber burned in the fire of 1834 . Main article: House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is located at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. The measurements of the room are 14 by 21 m (46 by 68 feet). It is much more austere than the great Hall of Lords. The seats, like the other furniture on the Commons side of the palace, are green. Other parliaments in the Commonwealth nations have copied the same color style, which associates the lower house with the color green and the upper house with the color red. At one end of the chamber is the Speaker’s Chair, a gift sent from Australia. In front of the president’s chair is the House Table, where the officials sit and where the ceremonial gavel of the Commons is also placed. There are green seats on each side. Members of the ruling party occupy seats to the speaker’s right, while those of the opposition occupy seats to the speaker’s left. There are no cross seats, as in the House of Lords. The room is relatively small, seating only 427 of the 646 Members of Parliament.
During Prime Minister’s Questions and main debates, some MPs stand at one end of the chamber. By tradition, the British Monarch does not enter the House of Commons. The last monarch to enter the room was King Charles I (in 1642 ) when he came with the objective of arresting five members of Parliament, on charges of high treason. When the king asked Speaker William Lenthall about the whereabouts of these individuals, Lenthall famously responded: “If your Majesty may please me, I have no eyes to see, no tongue to speak in this place except as may be ordered.” this House, whose servant I am. According to apocryphal tradition, the two red lines on the floor of the House of Commons are two swords that are one foot (0.3 m) apart. Protocol mandates that members of parliament cannot cross those lines during debates, to prevent disputes in the House.
Construction
Pugin’s designs have survived the test of time in every hall of Parliament. Even in the souvenirs sold inside: her creations decorate everything from tea cups to ties, including classic stationery, notebooks, envelopes and pens. There are spaces that remain almost intact since they were first erected. An example of this is the Westminster Hall. The roof is relatively new, it took two years to complete it. It is shaped like the keel of a ship, as that was the symbol of the country’s wealth at that time. Its construction almost bankrupted the United Kingdom. This is, therefore, one of the few parts of the original building that remain. The rest were affected, if not by fire, then by the damage caused during the bombings of World War II. The building is divided into two. The House of Commons and the House of Lords. Green corresponds to the first, red to the second. So to know what territory the visitor is treading, just look at the color of the carpet, the seats or the walls. Everything is delimited with the colors red and green. In the House of Lords specifically, we can see a space made of gold and oak that is intended for the queen’s visits. The building is so large that there are also countless nooks, hallways and corridors so intricate that they look like labyrinths. However, in the basement, it is worse.
The lower part of Parliament is much larger than the upper part. There are places where the ceiling is so low that you can’t even walk upright. There have been times when people who were repairing things there got lost and when going to look for them they have even found them passed out. The latest works that have taken place there have been the maintenance of the Parliament façade and the completion in 2000 of Portcullis House, which is a modern building intended for offices and communicates with Parliament through a tunnel that passes under the street. Since London is a city that knows how to merge its past and its present, greatly respecting the former. This is what we can enjoy when visiting Parliament, but without a doubt the best-known icon of London is the Clock Tower, Big Ben… The tower that houses Big Ben was added as part of one of the multiple reconstructions. The Tower was added to the Palace of Westminster as part of a reconstruction. It was completed in 1856 after thirteen years it took to build. It elegantly displays four clocks, each one on one side of the tower, large and attractive. But in reality, this tower, or the clocks, are not what are called Big Ben. Big Ben cannot be seen…few people have been able to see it, Big Ben can be heard…since in the tower, as part of the mechanism of the four clocks, there are five bells. The largest of these bells, which is the one that strikes the hours, is Big Ben. He received the nickname because he resembled the London construction manager who was called Benjamin, when the tower and clock were built.
Curiosity
- The original main bell, Big Ben, after a short time in use was cracked and replaced, the new bell ringing again in 1859. But things did not start out well for this second Big Ben either; Like the previous one, after two months of use it also cracked. This time it was given a quarter turn and the hammer that makes it sound was replaced with a lighter one. And that is the current Big Ben.
- Another curiosity is that the clock mechanism has only cost a few cents to keep on time all these years; since pennies are all the counterweight the pendulum has required to maintain accuracy.
- Anyone in the world can hear the chime of Big Ben, as the BBC uses it as a time signal and captures the sound live.
- The clocks have a diameter of seven and a half meters, and on each of them we can see the inscription: ” God save our majesty Queen Victoria .”