Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, in London, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom meet.

Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster with Elizabeth Tower and Westminster Bridge, viewed from across the River Thames
Location	City of Westminster, London, England
Coordinates	51°29′57″N 00°07′29″W
Area	112,476 m2 (1,210,680 sq ft) [1] (internal)
Built	1016
Demolished	1834 (due to fire)
Rebuilt	1840–70
Architectural style(s)	Perpendicular Gothic Revival
Owner	King Charles III in right of the Crown[2]
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Designated	1987 (11th session)
Reference no.	426
Country	United Kingdom
Region	Europe
Extensions	2008
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Houses of Parliament / The Palace of Westminster
Designated	5 February 1970
Reference no.	1226284[3]
Location of the Palace of Westminster in central London

Westminster Hall and its hammerbeam roof, in the early 19th century. The Hall is the only original piece of Gothic architecture in the Westminster Palace. The rest is Gothic revival.

In 1605, Guy Fawkes attempted to blow the Palace up. He was caught and later executed. This was called the Gunpowder Plot, and is celebrated on 5 November every year.

The original building was used as a palace and home to the Parliament of England. After a fire in 1834, the building was used as a Parliament building.

Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[4] Westminster Palace is an example of Gothic Revival architecture.^[4]

The building is in bad shape. There have been falling stonework, 10 fires, and an incident of potential asbestos exposure since 2020. There are leaking pipes and a serious risk of fire. The water, electric, sewage and gas pipes need to be replaced. To do this work the politicians would have to move to somewhere else.^[5]