Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament, more officially known as the Palace of Westminster, are the seat of the British Government. The Gothic style building sits on the bank of the River Thames in London, and the joined clocktower Big Ben is one of the most recognizable British symbols.

The Houses of Parliament are where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom meet; the official home of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, though the chambers in which they meet are different. The Houses are a huge building, containing over 1000 rooms, 100 staircases and three miles of corridor in total.

As well as being the location of decisions of the parliament, the Houses of Parliament are also the host of many state and ceremonial occasions. When a lying in state takes place – a period of public mourning near the coffin of a recently deceased public figure, usually reserved for Royalty – it usually takes place within the Houses. The Houses are also the venue for the ceremonial State Opening of Parliament, attended each year by the reigning monarch amid much pomp and ceremony.

The seat of Government and power has occupied the current site since Saxon times, though the current building was not created until 1834. The present Houses were built by Sir Charles Barry and his assistant Augustus Welby Pugin, who were famed for their expertise in creating Gothic-style architecture.

The House of Lords, often referred to as the final level of decision making in the United Kingdom, is located in the southern part of the Houses of Parliament. Although the name may suggest it, the House of Lords is actually a chamber within the actual building and not a separate area. The room, which is extravagantly decorated fittingly, measures 13.7 meters by 24.4 meters The benches are coloured a distinct red, to mark the difference from the House of Commons. The entire room is ornate, with much gilded metal and opulent luxuries.

The House of Commons chamber is at the northern end of the Houses of Parliament, and it too is just a chamber within the building. It is smaller than the House of Lords chamber, measuring 14 meters by 20.7 meters The benches and all other furnishings are coloured green, again to differentiate the chamber from the red used in the House of Lords. The general furnishings of the House of Commons are less ornate and elaborate than the House of Lords, as essentially this the chamber for the common people rather than the inherited nobility.

The Houses of Parliament have a rich and interesting history, which is only to be expected considering they are the seat of all the power of the realm. The most famous incident was the Gunpowder Plot on 1605, where a band of Catholic extremists tried to assassinate the ruling Protestant monarch James I and the entire Protestant parliament. The plot was to place gunpowder underneath the Houses of Parliament – room that was, incredibly, available for hire to anyone – and explode the Houses at the state opening of parliament, killing James and the nobility. However, the plot was discovered when a nobleman received a letter advising him against attending the opening of parliament and the Houses were searched. Beneath the Houses, plotter Guy Fawkes and many kegs of gunpowder were discovered. All of the plotters were eventually captured and put to death for high treason in the most gruesome way imaginable; hanging, drawing and quartering.

Ever since 1605, in memory of the failed plot, the areas below the Houses of Parliament are ceremonially inspected by the Yeoman of the Guard.