Editing Palace of Westminster

{{Short description|Meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom}}
{{Redirect|Houses of Parliament|other uses|Houses of Parliament (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Palace of Westminster
| image            = Houses of Parliament in 2022 (cropped).jpg
| image_size       = 275
| alt              = Seen from across the [[River Thames]] in 2022
| map_type         = United Kingdom Central London
| map_caption      = Location of the Palace of Westminster in central London
| architectural_style = [[Perpendicular Gothic]] [[Gothic Revival architecture|Revival]]
| coordinates      = {{Coord|51|29|57|N|00|07|29|W|type:landmark_scale:5000_region:GB-WSM|display=inline,title}}
| years_built      = {{plainlist|
* 1016 and later (original building)
* 1840–1876 (reconstructed)
}}
| location         = 
| address          = [[City of Westminster|Westminster]]<br />[[London]]<br />SW1A 0AA<br />[[United Kingdom]]
| governing_body   = 
| destruction_date = 1834 ([[Burning of Parliament|due to fire]])
| architect        = [[Charles Barry]] and [[Augustus Pugin]]
| owner            = [[King Charles III]] in [[Crown land|right of the Crown]]<ref>{{Cite Hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |house=House of Lords |title=Planning (Application to the Houses of Parliament) Order 2006 |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldhansrd/vo060517/text/60517-22.htm |date=17 May 2006 |volume=682 |column=339 |quote=The Palace of Westminster is therefore Crown land because it is land in which there is a Crown interest, in this case an interest belonging to Her Majesty in right of the Crown.}}</ref>
| floor_area       = {{convert|112,476|m2|ft2|abbr= on}}<ref name="restorationandrenewal.parliament.uk">{{cite web |title=Palace of Westminster: Factsheet |url=http://www.restorationandrenewal.parliament.uk/factsheets/Factsheet_Palace_of_Westminster.pdf |publisher=Houses of Parliament |department=Restoration and Renewal |access-date=13 September 2017 |archive-date=14 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914173323/https://restorationandrenewal.parliament.uk/factsheets/Factsheet_Palace_of_Westminster.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| embedded         = {{Infobox designation list|
   | embed = yes
   | designation1 = WHS
   | designation1_offname = Palace of Westminster, [[Westminster Abbey]], and [[St Margaret's, Westminster|St Margaret's Church]]
   | designation1_date = 1987 <small>(11th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
   | designation1_type = Cultural
   | designation1_criteria = i, ii, iv
   | designation1_number = [https://web.archive.org/web/20150509195743/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/426/ 426]
   | designation1_free1name = Country
   | designation1_free1value = United Kingdom
   | designation1_free2name = Region
   | designation1_free2value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe]]
   | designation1_free3name = Extensions
   | designation1_free3value = 2008
   | designation2 = UK Grade I
   | designation2_offname = Houses of Parliament and The Palace of Westminster
   | designation2_date = 5 February 1970
   | designation2_number = {{NHLE |num=1226284 |short=yes}}
   }}
}}

The '''Palace of Westminster''' is the meeting place of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] and is located in [[London]], England. It is commonly called the '''Houses of Parliament''' after the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] and the [[House of Lords]], the two [[legislative chamber]]s which occupy the building. The palace is one of the centres of [[Politics of the United Kingdom|political life in the United Kingdom]]; "Westminster" has become a [[metonym]] for the UK Parliament and the [[British Government]], and the [[Westminster system]] of government commemorates the name of the palace. The Elizabeth Tower of the palace, nicknamed [[Big Ben]], is a landmark of London and the United Kingdom in general. The palace has been a Grade I [[listed building]] since 1970 and part of a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] since 1987.

The building was originally constructed in the eleventh century as a royal palace and was the primary residence of the [[kings of England]] until 1512, when a fire destroyed the royal apartments. The monarch moved to the adjacent [[Palace of Whitehall]], but the remainder of the palace continued to serve as the home of the [[Parliament of England]], which had met there since the 13th&nbsp;century. In 1834 a [[Burning of Parliament|second, larger fire]] destroyed the majority of the palace, but the twelfth century [[Westminster Hall]] was saved and incorporated into the replacement building.

The competition to design the new palace was won by the architect [[Charles Barry]], who chose a [[Gothic Revival]] style for the building. Construction started in 1840 and lasted for 30 years, suffering delays, cost overruns, and the deaths of Barry and his assistant, [[Augustus Pugin]]. This new palace became globally famous for its ornate decoration, and contributed to the proliferation of Gothic Revival architecture around the world.<ref name="o380">{{cite book | author=DK | title=The Architecture Book | publisher=DK | series=DK Big Ideas | year=2023 | isbn=978-0-7440-8357-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gduEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT367 | access-date=2025-03-04 | page=367-368}}</ref> The palace contains chambers for the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|monarch]], and has a floor area of {{convert|112,476|m2|ft2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="restorationandrenewal.parliament.uk" /> Extensive repairs had to be made after the [[Second World War]], including rebuilding the destroyed Commons chamber. Despite further conservation work having been carried out since, the palace is in urgent need of major repairs.

== History ==
{{Main|History of the Palace of Westminster}}

=== Old Palace ===
[[File:Westminster in the time of Henry VIII.png|thumb|Conjectural restoration of [[Westminster]] during the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547).<ref>The bird's-eye view by H. J. Brewer was published in ''[[Building (magazine)|The Builder]]'' in 1884, according to {{cite web |url-status=live |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/collections/painting-one/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013131949/http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/collections/painting-one/ |archive-date=13 October 2010 |title=Perspective view of the old Palace of Westminster |website=UK Parliament }}</ref> [[St Stephen's Chapel]] is in the centre, with the [[White Chamber]] and [[Painted Chamber]] on the left and Westminster Hall on the right.
]]
The site of the current palace and Houses of Parliament may have been used by [[Cnut]] during his reign from 1016 to 1035, and from {{Circa|1045|1050}} [[Edward the Confessor]] built a palace and the first [[Westminster Abbey]]. The oldest surviving part of the palace is Westminster Hall, which dates from the reign of [[William II of England|William II]] ({{reign | 1087 | 1100}}). The palace was the principal residence of the English monarchs in the late Medieval period. In 1512, during the early reign of [[Henry VIII]], a fire destroyed the royal apartments of the palace.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A palace for Parliament |work=All Change at the Palace of Westminster |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/church_state/westminster_palace/change_palace_westmin_08.shtml |first1=Jacqueline |last1=Riding |date=2005-02-02 |access-date=8 February 2023 |publisher=BBC History |language=en-uk}}</ref> In 1534 Henry moved to the neighbouring [[Palace of Whitehall]], formerly [[York Place]], which he had seized from Cardinal [[Thomas Wolsey]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fraser |first=Antonia |url=https://archive.org/details/wivesofhenryviii00fras_0 |title=The Wives of Henry VIII |publisher=Alfred A Knopf |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-394-58538-3 |location=New York}}</ref> Although Westminster remained a royal palace, from this point on its primary occupants were the two houses of Parliament and various courts of law.

The predecessor of Parliament, the [[Curia Regis]], met in Westminster Hall when the king was in residence. The "[[Model Parliament]]", considered the first Parliament of England, met at the palace in 1295;<ref name="Factsheet G03">{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g03.pdf |title=A Brief Chronology of the House of Commons |date=April 2009 |publisher=House of Commons Information Office |access-date=5 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623010012/http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g03.pdf |archive-date=23 June 2015}}</ref> while medieval parliaments of England met in a variety of locations, the palace was frequently used and developed into the body's permanent home. The palace did not have purpose-built chambers for the House of Commons or the House of Lords instead using the available large gathering spaces built for the palace. In time, the Commons adapted [[St Stephen's Chapel]] for its use in the sixteenth century, and the Lords used the [[Painted Chamber]] and, from 1801, the [[White Chamber]]. 

{{anchor|Public Buildings (Houses of Parliament) Act 1800}}
The palace underwent significant alterations from the 18th century onwards, as Parliament struggled to carry out its business in the limited available space. These included a new storage and committee rooms by [[John Vardy]], completed in 1770; a new official residence for the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]], completed in 1795; and significant alterations and a new building by [[James Wyatt]], completed in 1801. The last alterations were undertaken by [[Sir John Soane]] between 1824 and 1827, and included new library facilities for both Houses of Parliament and new law courts for the [[Court of Chancery|Chancery]] and [[Court of King's Bench (England)|King's Bench]].

=== Fire and reconstruction ===
{{Main|Burning of Parliament}}
[[File:Joseph Mallord William Turner, English - The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16, 1834 - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|alt=Painting|[[J. M. W. Turner]] watched the fire of 1834 and painted several canvases depicting it, including ''[[The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons]]'' (1835).]]

On 16 October 1834, a [[Burning of Parliament|fire broke out in the palace]] after an overheated stove used to destroy the [[Exchequer]]'s stockpile of [[tally stick]]s set fire to the House of Lords Chamber. Both Houses of Parliament were destroyed, along with most of the other buildings in the palace complex. Westminster Hall was saved thanks to fire-fighting efforts and a change in the direction of the wind. The [[Jewel Tower]] and the [[St Mary Undercroft|undercroft]], [[cloister]]s, and chapter house of St Stephen's Chapel were the only other parts of the palace to survive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/great-fire/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: The Great Fire of 1834 |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>

[[William IV]] offered the almost-completed [[Buckingham Palace]] to Parliament, hoping to dispose of a residence he disliked; however, the building was considered unsuitable for parliamentary use and the gift was rejected.<ref>[[#Jones|Jones (1983)]], p. 77; [[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 100; [[#Port|Port (1976)]], p. 20.</ref> The Painted Chamber and White Chamber were hastily repaired for temporary use,<ref>[[#Jones|Jones (1983)]], pp. 77–78; [[#Port|Port (1976)]], p. 20.</ref> and in 1835, following that year's General Election, the King permitted Parliament to make "plans for [its] permanent accommodation".<ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1835/feb/24/kings-speech|title=King's Speech  |house=House of Lords |date=24 February 1835 |column_start=63 |column_end=64}}</ref> Each house created a committee<ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1835/mar/02/new-houses-of-parliament|title=New Houses of Parliament  |house=House of Commons |date=2 March 1835 |column_start=469 |column_end=471}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1835/mar/03/new-houses-of-parliament |title=New Houses of Parliament|house=House of Lords |date=3 March 1835 |column_start=489 |column_end=490}}</ref> and a Perpendicular Gothic Revival design by the architect [[Charles Barry]] was chosen. Barry was inexperienced with Gothic, and relied heavily on [[Augustus Pugin]] to design details. The Lords Chamber was completed in 1847, and the Commons Chamber in 1852. Although most of the work had been carried out by 1860, construction was not finished until a decade afterwards.

=== Second World War damage and restoration ===
[[File:Old House of Commons.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|The old chamber of the House of Commons was in use between 1852 and 1941, when it was destroyed by German bombs in the course of the [[Second World War]].]] During the Second World War the palace was hit by bombs on fourteen separate occasions. A bomb that fell on 26 September 1940 lifted the [[Richard Coeur de Lion (statue)|statue of Richard the Lionheart]] from its pedestal and bent its sword, an image that was used as a symbol of the strength of democracy, "which would bend but not break under attack".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/3768088819/in/set-72157621747072869/ |title=Richard I statue: Second World War damage |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=27 December 2009|date=28 July 2009 }}</ref>

The worst raid took place in the night of 10–11 May 1941, when the palace took at least twelve hits and three people (two policemen and Resident Superintendent of the House of Lords, Edward Elliott<ref>[http://www.parliament.uk/documents/War-Memorial-Lists/War-Memorials-Westminster-Hall-WW2.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623011628/http://www.parliament.uk/documents/War-Memorial-Lists/War-Memorials-Westminster-Hall-WW2.pdf|date=23 June 2015}} Names on the Parliamentary War Memorial.</ref>) were killed.<ref name="Fell, p. 27">[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 27.</ref> The Commons Chamber and the roof of Westminster Hall were both set alight; as the firefighters could not save both, the hall was prioritised and saved, while the chamber was destroyed.<ref>[[#Field|Field (2002)]], p. 259.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/2713947202/ |title=Bombed House of Commons 1941 |author=UK Parliament |work=[[Flickr]] |access-date=5 August 2010|date=29 July 2008 }}</ref> The Lords Chamber and Clock Tower were damaged in the same raid.<ref name="Fell, p. 27" /> The Commons Chamber was rebuilt in a simplified style after the war, being completed in 1950.<ref>{{Cite web|title='The House' Returns|url=https://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-house-returns|access-date=8 February 2023|website=British Pathé|language=en-GB}} Newsreel 50/87, issue date 30 October 1950.</ref>

=== Recent history ===
As the need for office space in the palace increased, Parliament acquired office space in the nearby [[Norman Shaw Building]] in 1975 and in the custom-built [[Portcullis House]], completed in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g13.pdf |title=The Norman Shaw Buildings |date=April 2007 |publisher=House of Commons Information Office |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> This increase has enabled all [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament (MP)]] to have their own office facilities.<ref name="Factsheet G03" />

The palace was designated a [[Grade I listed building]] in 1970 and a [[World Heritage Site]] in 1987. The fabric of the building is in urgent need of restoration. In January 2018, the House of Commons voted for both houses to vacate the palace to allow for a complete refurbishment of the building, which will take at least six years and start no sooner than 2025.<ref>{{cite news|title=MPs set to leave Houses of Parliament for £3.5bn restoration|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/31/mps-set-to-leave-houses-of-parliament-for-35bn-restoration|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=1 February 2018}}</ref> In September 2022, the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, a joint committee of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, was formed to oversee the necessary works.<ref>{{cite web |title=Restoration and Renewal Client Board |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/616/restoration-and-renewal-client-board/membership/ |website=Houses of Parliament |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>

== Exterior ==
{{Multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| header            = River front of the Palace of Westminster
| width             = 300
| image1            = London Parliament 2007-1.jpg
| alt1              = Photograph
| caption1          = View from across the Thames in the morning...
| image2            = Palace of Westminster, London - Feb 2007.jpg
| alt2              = Photograph
| caption2          = ...and at dusk. [[Portcullis House]] is visible on the right.
}}

[[Charles Barry]]'s collaborative design for the Palace of Westminster uses the [[Perpendicular Gothic]] style, which was popular during the 15th century and returned during the [[Gothic revival]] of the 19th century. Barry was a [[Classical architecture|classical architect]], but he was aided by the Gothic architect [[Augustus Pugin]]. Westminster Hall, which was built in the 11th century and survived the fire of 1834, was incorporated in Barry's design. Pugin was displeased with the result of the work, especially with the symmetrical layout designed by Barry; he famously remarked, "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3575/is_1248_209/ai_72302588/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708171811/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3575/is_1248_209/ai_72302588/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 July 2012 |title=Commons Sense |last=Devey |first=Peter |date=February 2001 |magazine=The Architectural Review |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref>

=== Stonework ===
In 1839 Charles Barry toured Britain, looking at quarries and buildings, with a committee which included two leading geologists and a stonecarver.<ref name="stonework">[http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/the-stonework/ UK Parliament website "stonework" page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502114640/http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/the-stonework/ |date=2 May 2015 }} Accessed 4 January 2014.</ref>  They selected Anston, a sand-coloured magnesian [[limestone]] quarried in the villages of [[Anston]], [[South Yorkshire]], and [[Mansfield Woodhouse]], [[Nottinghamshire]].<ref name="Factsheet G11">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g11.pdf |title=The Palace of Westminster |date=May 2009 |publisher=House of Commons Information Office |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>  Two quarries were chosen from a list of 102, with the majority of the stone coming from the former. A crucial consideration was transport, achieved on water via the [[Chesterfield Canal]], the North Sea and the rivers [[River Trent|Trent]] and Thames.<ref>Richardson, Christine (2007). ''Yorkshire Stone to London: To Create the Houses of Parliament''. Richlow Histories. {{ISBN|1-870002-95-4}}.</ref>  Furthermore, Anston was cheaper, and "could be supplied in blocks up to four feet thick and lent itself to elaborate carving".<ref name="stonework" />
[[File:Big Ben from the Westminster Bridge.jpg|thumb|View from the Westminster Bridge, highlighting the distinctive colour of the stonework]]
Barry's new Palace of Westminster was rebuilt using the sandy-coloured Anston limestone. However the stone soon began to decay owing to pollution and the poor quality of some of the stone used. Although such defects were clear as early as 1849, nothing was done for the remainder of the 19th century even after much studying.<ref>{{cite book|title=Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events of the year: 1862|year=1863|publisher=D. Appleton & Company|location=New York|page=201 |url=https://archive.org/stream/1862appletonsan02newyuoft#page/n208/mode/1up}}</ref> During the 1910s, however, it became clear that some of the stonework had to be replaced. In 1928 it was deemed necessary to use [[Clipsham stone]], a honey-coloured limestone from [[Rutland]], to replace the decayed Anston. The project began in the 1930s but was halted by the outbreak of the Second World War and completed only during the 1950s. By the 1960s pollution had again begun to take its toll. A stone conservation and restoration programme to the external elevations and towers began in 1981 and ended in 1994.<ref name="Factsheet G12">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g12.pdf |title=Restoration of the Palace of Westminster: 1981–94 |date=August 2003 |publisher=House of Commons Information Office |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>

=== Towers ===
==== Victoria Tower ====
{{Main articles|Victoria Tower}}
[[File:Palace of Westminster Victoria Tower Gardens South 2020 Tower.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|The Victoria Tower]]
The Palace of Westminster has three main towers. The largest and tallest is the {{Convert|98.5|m|ft|adj=on}}<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> Victoria Tower, which occupies the south-western corner of the palace. The tower was an integral part of Barry's original design, and he intended it to be the most memorable element, conceiving it as the [[keep]] of a legislative "castle". The tower was redesigned several times, and its height increased progressively;<ref>[[#Port|Port (1976)]], pp. 76, 109; [[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 116.</ref> upon its completion in 1858 it was <!-- the second-tallest building in London (after [[St Paul's Cathedral]]) and --> the tallest secular building in the world.<ref>[[#Quinault|Quinault (1991)]], p. 81.</ref>

At base of the tower is the Sovereign's Entrance, used by the monarch whenever entering the palace to [[State Opening of Parliament|open Parliament]] or for other state occasions. The {{cvt|15|m|ft}} high archway is richly decorated with sculptures, including statues of [[Saint George|Saints George]], [[Saint Andrew|Andrew]] and [[Saint Patrick|Patrick]], and [[Queen Victoria]].<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 30.</ref> The main body of the tower houses the [[Parliamentary Archives]] in {{Convert|8.8|km|mi}} of steel shelves spread over 12 floors. The archives include the master copies of all [[Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom|Acts of Parliament]] since 1497 and important manuscripts such as the original [[Bill of Rights 1689|Bill of Rights]] and the death warrant of [[Charles I of England|King Charles&nbsp;I]].<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 44.</ref> At the top of the cast-iron pyramidal roof is a {{cvt|22|m|ft}}<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> flagstaff, from which flies the [[Royal Standard of the United Kingdom|Royal Standard]] (the monarch's personal flag) when the Sovereign is present in the palace. On all other days the [[Union Flag]] flies from the mast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2009-10/1199 |title=Early day motion 1199: Union Flag at Parliament |publisher=UK Parliament |date=29 March 2010 |access-date=19 November 2016}}</ref>

==== Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) ====
{{Main articles|Big Ben}}
[[File:Elizabeth Tower, June 2022.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)]]
At the north end of the palace is the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known by the nickname "Big Ben". At {{convert|96|m|ft}} it is only slightly shorter than the Victoria Tower, but much slimmer.<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> It was called the Clock Tower until 2012, when it was renamed to celebrate the [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II]]. The Clock Tower was designed by [[Augustus Pugin]] and built after his death. Charles Barry asked Pugin to design the clock tower because Pugin had previously helped Barry design the palace.<ref name="Taylor_BBC_Four">{{Cite episode |series=Pugin |title=God's Own Architect |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b1z45 |access-date=7 May 2021 |first=Richard |last=Taylor |author-link=Richard Taylor (British writer) |network=BBC Four |date=19 January 2012 |minutes=54 |language=English}}</ref>

The tower houses the Great Clock, which uses the original mechanism built by [[Edward John Dent]] to designs by amateur [[horologist]] [[Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe|Edmund Beckett Denison]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/building-clock-tower/building-great-clock|title=Building the Great Clock|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref> It is highly accurate by nineteenth-century standards, striking the hour to within a second of the time, and remaining reliable since it entered service in 1859.<ref>[[#Macdonald|Macdonald (2004)]], pp. xiii–xiv.</ref> The time is shown on four dials {{Convert|7|m|ft|0}} in diameter, which are made of [[milk glass]] and are lit from behind at night; the hour hand is {{Convert|2.7|m}} long and the minute hand {{Convert|4.3|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/facts-figures/great-clock-facts|title=Great Clock facts|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref> 

Five bells hang in the [[Belfry (architecture)|belfry]] above the clock. The four quarter bells strike the [[Westminster Chimes]] every quarter-hour.<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], pp. 24, 26.</ref> The largest bell strikes the hours; officially called the "Great Bell", it is generally referred to as Big Ben, a nickname of uncertain origins which, over time, has been applied to the whole tower. The original hour bell cracked during testing and was recast;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/building-clock-tower/great-bell|title=The Great Bell – Big Ben|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref> the present bell later developed a crack of its own, which gives it a distinctive sound.<ref>[[#Macdonald|Macdonald (2004)]], pp. xvi–xvii, 50.</ref> It is the third-heaviest bell in Britain, weighing 13.8 tonnes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/facts-figures/great-bell|title=The Great Bell and the quarter bells|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref><ref>[[#Macdonald|Macdonald (2004)]], p. 174.</ref> In the lantern at the top of Elizabeth Tower is the Ayrton Light, which is lit when either House of Parliament is sitting after dark. It was installed in 1885 at the request of Queen Victoria, so that she could see from [[Buckingham Palace]] whether the members were "at work", and named after [[Acton Smee Ayrton]], who was [[First Commissioner of Works]] in the 1870s.<ref>[[#Jones|Jones (1983)]], pp. 112–113.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/bigben-tour|title=Elizabeth Tower virtual tour|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=15 May 2010}}</ref>

==== Central Tower ====
[[File:Central Tower, Palace of Westminster.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|alt=Photograph|The Central Tower]]

The shortest of the palace's three principal towers (at {{Convert|91|m|ft}}<ref name="Factsheet G11" />), the octagonal Central Tower stands over the middle of the building, immediately above the Central Lobby. It was added to the plans on the insistence of Dr. [[David Boswell Reid]], who was in charge of the ventilation of the new Houses of Parliament: his plan called for a central chimney through which what he called "vitiated air" would be drawn out of the building with the heat and smoke of about four hundred fires around the palace.<ref>[[#Port|Port (1976)]], p. 221; [[#Jones|Jones (1983)]], p. 119.</ref> To accommodate the tower Barry was forced to lower the high ceiling he had planned for the Central Lobby and reduce the height of its windows;<ref>[[#Jones|Jones (1983)]], pp. 108–109; [[#Field|Field (2002)]], p. 189.</ref> however, the tower proved to be an opportunity to improve the palace's exterior design,<ref name="Riding, p. 120">[[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 120.</ref> and Barry to make it a [[spire]] in order to balance the effect of the more massive lateral towers.<ref>[[#Port|Port (1976)]], p. 103.</ref> The Central Tower completely failed to fulfill its stated purpose, but it remains notable as "the first occasion when mechanical services had a real influence on architectural design,"<ref>{{cite book |last=Collins |first=Peter |title=Changing Ideals in Modern Architecture 1750–1950 |edition=1st |year=1965 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal, Quebec; Kingston, Ontario |page=[https://archive.org/details/changingidealsin00coll/page/238 238] |isbn=978-0-7735-0048-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/changingidealsin00coll/page/238}} cited in [[#Port|Port (1976)]], p. 206.</ref> withstanding certain climate-specific architectural elements such as [[windcatcher]]s.

==== Smaller towers ====
{{Anchor|St Stephen's Tower}}<!--Used by the redirect [[St. Stephen's Tower]]-->Some other features of the palace of Westminster are known as towers. St Stephen's Tower is positioned in the middle of the west front of the palace, between Westminster Hall and Old Palace Yard, and houses the public entrance to the palace.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmcomm/1002/100208.htm |title=Department of the Serjeant at Arms Annual Report 2001–02 |date=2 July 2002 |publisher=House of Commons Commission |access-date=28 April 2010 |quote=St Stephen's Tower: This project involved the renovation and re-modelling of offices on four floors above St Stephen's Entrance.}}</ref> The pavilions at the northern and southern ends of the river front are called Speaker's Tower and Chancellor's Tower respectively,<ref name="Factsheet G12" /> after the presiding officers of the two Houses at the time of the palace's reconstruction—the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]] and the [[Lord Chancellor]]. Speaker's Tower contains [[Speaker's House]], the official residence of the Speaker of the Commons.<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], p. 32.</ref>

As well as the pinnacles which rise from between the window bays along the fronts of the palace, numerous [[Turret (architecture)|turret]]s enliven the building's skyline. Like the Central Tower these were built for practical reasons, as they mask ventilation shafts.<ref name="Riding, p. 120" />

=== Grounds ===
{{See also|Parliamentary Estate}}
[[File:Statue of Oliver Cromwell outside Palace of Westminster.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photograph|Cromwell Green, outside Westminster Hall, is the site of [[Hamo Thornycroft]]'s [[Statue of Oliver Cromwell, Westminster|bronze statue of Oliver Cromwell]], erected amid controversy in 1899.<ref>[[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 268.</ref>]]

There are a number of small gardens surrounding the Palace of Westminster. [[Victoria Tower Gardens]] is open as a public park along the side of the river south of the palace. Black Rod's Garden (named after the office of [[Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod]]) is closed to the public and is used as a private entrance. [[Old Palace Yard]], in front of the palace, is paved over and covered in concrete security blocks (''see [[#Security|security]] below''). Cromwell Green (also on the frontage, and in 2006 enclosed by hoardings for the construction of a new visitor centre), [[New Palace Yard]] (on the north side) and Speaker's Green (directly north of the palace) are all private and closed to the public. [[College Green, London|College Green]], opposite the House of Lords, is a small triangular green commonly used for television interviews with politicians.

== Interior ==
The Palace of Westminster contains over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and {{Convert|4.8|km|sigfig=1}} of passageways,<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> which are spread over four floors. The ground floor is occupied by offices, dining rooms and bars; the first, or principal, floor houses the main rooms of the palace, including the debating chambers, the lobbies and the libraries. The top two floors are used as committee rooms and offices.

Some of the interiors were designed and painted by [[J. G. Crace]], working in collaboration with Pugin and others. For example, Crace decorated and gilded the ceiling of the Chapel of St. Mary Undercroft.<ref>[http://www.parliament.uk/worksofart/artwork/edward-m-barry/houses-of-parliament-st-stephen%27s-crypt-restored--about-1863-/1601 Art in Parliament] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127160027/http://www.parliament.uk/worksofart/artwork/edward-m-barry/houses-of-parliament-st-stephen%27s-crypt-restored--about-1863-/1601 |date=27 November 2012 }}: ''Houses of Parliament, St Stephen's Crypt (Restored)''.</ref>

=== Layout ===
[[File:Palace of Westminster plan, F. Crace, high resolution.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Layout of the principal floor, with north to the right. The Central Lobby is the octagonal space in the centre; the Commons chamber is to the north, with the Elizabeth Tower beyond. The Lords chamber is to the south, with the monarch's rooms beyond. Westminster Hall is to the west, at an angle.]]

The palace is a roughly rectangular building with its long axis parallel to the River Thames. The building is planned around the Central Lobby, a large hall from which corridors lead north to the Commons Chamber, south to the Lords Chamber, and west to the public entrance and Westminster Hall; to the east are committee rooms and libraries. A suite of rooms known as the Royal Apartments are at the disposal of the reigning monarch; they lie beyond the Lords Chamber at the far south of the palace.

The palace has separate entrances for its different users: the monarch, members of the House of Lords, members of Parliament and the public. The Sovereign's Entrance is at the base of the Victoria Tower in the south-west corner of the palace, and leads directly to the Royal Apartments. Members of the House of Lords use the Peers' Entrance in the middle of the Old Palace Yard façade, which opens to an entrance hall. A staircase from there leads, through a corridor and the Prince's Chamber, to the Lords Chamber.<ref name="Guide, p. 28">[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 28.</ref> Members of Parliament enter their part of the building from the Members' Entrance in the south side of New Palace Yard. Their route passes through a cloakroom in the lower level of the Cloisters and eventually reaches the Members' Lobby directly south of the Commons Chamber. St Stephen's Entrance, in the approximate centre of the building's western front, is the public entrance. From it visitors walk through a flight of stairs to St Stephen's Hall, which houses a collection of marble statues of prominent parliamentarians, and then to the Central Lobby.<ref>{{Cite web |title=St Stephen's Hall |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/st-stephen-s-hall/ |access-date=5 November 2023 |website=UK Parliament}}</ref>

=== Royal Apartments ===

==== Norman Porch ====
The Sovereign's Entrance is beneath the Victoria Tower. It was designed for the use of the monarch, and is used by them during the [[State Opening of Parliament]].<ref name="Lords Route tour">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/lords-route/ |title=Lords Route virtual tour |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010 |archive-date=16 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816131858/http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/lords-route/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Sovereign's Entrance is also the formal entrance used by visiting dignitaries,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/3406081239/ |title=President of France arrives at Parliament |author=UK Parliament |date=2 April 2009 |work=[[Flickr]] |access-date=29 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/3406096131/ |title=President of Mexico and the Mexican First Lady arrive at Parliament |author=UK Parliament |date=2 April 2009 |work=[[Flickr]] |access-date=29 January 2010}}</ref> as well as the starting point of public tours of the palace.<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], inside of front cover.</ref>

From the entrance, a staircase leads up to the principal floor in a broad, unbroken flight of 26 steps made of grey granite.<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 30; [[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], p. 8.</ref> At the top is the Norman Porch, a square landing with a central [[clustered column]] and a ceiling of four [[groin vault]]s with [[Lierne (vault)|lierne ribs]] and [[Boss (architecture)|carved bosses]]. The porch was named for its proposed decorative scheme, which was never completed but would have consisted of statues of the Norman kings and frescoes depicting [[Norman England|Norman history]].<ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 25.</ref> As completed, the porch contains stained glass windows depicting [[Edward the Confessor]] and a young Queen Victoria,<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 31.</ref> a copy of a 1900 painting of Victoria by [[Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant]],<ref>[[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 190.</ref> and busts of prime ministers who have sat in the House of Lords on the plinths intended for the statues. A double door opposite the stairs leads to the Royal Gallery, and another to the right opens to the Robing Room.<ref name="Lords Route tour" />

==== Robing Room ====
[[File:Royal Robing Room, Palace of Westminster.jpg|thumb|alt=See adjacent text.|The Sovereign prepares for the State Opening of Parliament in the Robing Room. Behind is the Chair of State.]]
[[File:House of Lords (Robing Room) 1897.jpg|thumb|The robing room in 1897]]

The Robing Room lies at the southern end of the palace's north-south axis, and occupies the centre of the south front, overlooking [[Victoria Tower Gardens]].<ref name="Wilson, pp. 8-9">[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], pp. 8–9.</ref> It is where the Sovereign prepares for the State Opening of Parliament by changing into their official robes and putting on the [[Imperial State Crown]].<ref name="Robing Room">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/robing-room/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: The Robing Room |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> The focus of the room is the chair of state, which sits on a dais of three steps under a canopy adorned with the arms and floral emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland. A panel of purple velvet forms the backdrop to the chair, embroidered by the [[Royal School of Needlework]] with the royal arms, surrounded by stars and ''VR'' monograms.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> Edward Barry designed both the chair—the cushion and back of which are also embroidered—and the ornate marble fireplace across the room, which features gilded statuettes of [[Saint George]] and [[Saint Michael]].<ref name="Wilson, pp. 8-9" />

The decorative theme of the room is the legend of [[King Arthur]], considered by many Victorians the source of their nationhood.<ref name="Field, p. 192">[[#Field|Field (2002)]], p. 192.</ref> Five frescoes painted by [[William Dyce]] between 1848 and 1864 cover the walls, depicting allegorical scenes from the legend. Each scene represents a chivalric virtue; the largest, between the two doors, is titled ''Admission of Sir Tristram to the Round Table'' and illustrates the virtue of Hospitality.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> Seven were originally commissioned but the remaining two paintings were not carried out due to the artist's death, and on the wallpapered panels flanking the Chair of State hang oil portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by [[Franz Xaver Winterhalter]].<ref name="Wilson, pp. 8-9" />{{#tag:ref|Depicted (clockwise) are the virtues of Courtesy, Religion, Generosity, Hospitality and Mercy. The two missing frescoes were meant to depict Fidelity and Courage.<ref name="Guide, p. 26">[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 26.</ref> Queen Victoria's portrait can be seen in the Parliamentary website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/worksofart/artwork/unknown/queen-victoria--1819-1901-/3154 |title=Queen Victoria (1819–1901) |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>|group=note}} Other decorations in the room are also inspired by the Arthurian legend, namely a series of 18 bas-reliefs beneath the paintings, carved in oak by [[Henry Hugh Armstead]],<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> and the frieze running below the ceiling, which displays the attributed coats of arms of the [[Knights of the Round Table]].<ref name="Guide, p. 26" /> The ceiling itself is decorated with heraldic badges, as is the border of the wooden floor<ref name="Guide, p. 28" />—which, as can be seen in the adjacent image, is left exposed by the carpeting.

The Robing Room was briefly used as the House of Lords' meeting chamber while the House of Lords Chamber was occupied by the House of Commons, whose chamber had been destroyed by [[the Blitz]] in 1941.

==== Royal Gallery ====
[[File:Royal Gallery, Palace of Westminster.jpg|thumb|left|Following the rapid decay of Maclise's first two frescoes, the rest of the Royal Gallery's walls were left unpainted.]]
Immediately north of the Robing Room is the Royal Gallery. At {{Convert|33.5|by|13.7|m|ft}}, it is one of the largest rooms in the palace.<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> Its main purpose is to serve as the stage of the [[State Procession at the UK Opening of Parliament|royal procession]] at State Openings of Parliament, which the audience watch from temporary tiered seating on both sides of the route.<ref>[[#Quinault|Quinault (1992)]], pp. 84–85.</ref> It has also been used on occasion by visiting statesmen from abroad when [[List of people who have addressed both Houses of the United Kingdom Parliament|addressing both Houses of Parliament]], as well as for receptions in honour of foreign dignitaries,<ref name="Royal Gallery">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/royal-gallery/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: The Royal Gallery |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> and more regularly for the Lord Chancellor's Breakfast;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/occasions/lcbreakfast/ |title=Lord Chancellor's breakfast |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> in the past it was the theatre of several trials of peers by the House of Lords.<ref name="Royal Gallery" /><ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 29.</ref> Documents from the Parliamentary Archives are on display in the Royal Gallery (including a facsimile of [[Charles I of England|Charles&nbsp;I]]'s death warrant), and the tables and seating offer a workspace for members of the Lords that is conveniently close to their debating chamber.<ref name="Lords Route tour" />
[[File:The Royal Gallery House of Lords, (interior, London, England) LCCN2002699877.tif|thumb|Historical image of the Royal Gallery]]
The decorative scheme of the Royal Gallery was meant to display important moments in British military history, and the walls are decorated by two large paintings by [[Daniel Maclise]], each measuring {{Convert|13.7|by|3.7|m|ft}}: ''[[The Death of Nelson (Maclise painting)|The Death of Nelson]]'' (depicting [[Lord Nelson]]'s demise at the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] in 1805) and ''[[The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo]]'' (showing the [[Duke of Wellington]] meeting [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher]] at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] in 1815).<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> The murals deteriorated rapidly after their completion due to a range of factors, most importantly atmospheric pollution, and today they are almost monochrome, although a finished study of ''The Death of Nelson'' in better condition hangs in the [[Walker Art Gallery]], [[Liverpool]].<ref name="Field, p. 192" /> The rest of the planned frescos were cancelled, and the walls are filled with portraits of kings and queens from [[George I of Great Britain|George&nbsp;I]] onwards.<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], pp. 8, 10–11.</ref> Another decorative element with military undertones are the eight statues of gilded [[Caen stone]] that flank the three doorways and the bay window of the Gallery, sculpted by [[John Birnie Philip]]. Each depicts a monarch during whose reign a key battle or war took place.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> They are: [[Alfred the Great]] and [[William the Conqueror]]; [[Richard I]] and [[Edward III]]; [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] and [[Elizabeth I]]; [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]]. The panelled ceiling, {{Convert|13.7|m|ft}} above the floor,<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> features [[Tudor rose]]s and lions, and the stained-glass windows show the coats of arms of the Kings of England and Scotland.<ref name="Royal Gallery" />

==== Prince's Chamber ====
[[File:Sir Benjamin Stone's pictures; records of national life and history reproduced from the collection of photographs made by Sir Benjamin Stone, M.P (1906) (14755803986).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|''Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Supported by Justice and Clemency'', by [[John Gibson (sculptor)|John Gibson]], Prince's Chamber]]
The Prince's Chamber is a small [[wikt:anteroom|anteroom]] between the Royal Gallery and the Lords Chamber, named after the room adjoining the Parliament Chamber in the Old Palace of Westminster. Thanks to its location, it is a place where members of the Lords meet to discuss business of the House. Several doors lead out of the room, to the [[Division of the assembly|division]] lobbies of the House of Lords and to a number of important offices.<ref name="Lords Route tour" />

The theme of the Prince's Chamber is Tudor history, and 28 oil portraits painted on panels around the room depict members of the [[Tudor dynasty]]. They are the work of [[Richard Burchett]] and his pupils, and their creation entailed extensive research, which contributed to the founding of the [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]] in 1856. 12 bronze bas-reliefs are set into the wall below the portraits, executed by [[William Theed]] in 1855–1857.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> Scenes included are ''The [[Field of the Cloth of Gold]]'', ''The Escape of [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]'' and ''[[Walter Raleigh|Raleigh]] Spreading His Cloak As a Carpet for the Queen''.<ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], pp. 32–33.</ref> Above the portraits, at window level, are copies of six of the ten [[Armada tapestries]], which hung in the chamber of the House of Lords until their destruction in the 1834 fire and depicted the defeat of the [[Spanish Armada]] in 1588. The project was put on hold in 1861 (by which time only one painting had been completed), and was not revived until 2007; {{As of|2010|8|lc=on}}, all six paintings are now in their intended places.

The room also contains a statue of Queen Victoria, seated on a throne (itself placed on a pedestal) and holding a sceptre and a laurel crown, which show that she both governs and rules.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /> This figure is flanked by allegorical statues of Justice and Clemency, the former with a bare sword and an inflexible expression and the latter showing sympathy and offering an olive branch.<ref>[[#Fell|Fell and Mackenzie (1994)]], p. 38; [[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 262.</ref> The sculptural ensemble, made of white marble and carved by [[John Gibson (sculptor)|John Gibson]] in 1855, reaches {{Convert|2.44|m|ft|0}} in height; its size has long been considered out of proportion with the fittings of the Prince's Chamber, and the flanking statues ended up in storage between 1955 and 1976. However, the size and location of the group, in the archway opposite the doors to the Royal Gallery (which are removed before State Openings of Parliament to facilitate the royal procession), indicate that it was meant to be seen from a distance, and to symbolically remind the monarch of their royal duties as they would walk down the Royal Gallery on their way to deliver their speech.<ref name="Lords Route tour" /><ref>[[#Riding|Riding and Riding (2000)]], p. 253.</ref>

=== Precincts of the House of Lords ===
==== Lords Chamber ====
[[File:Minute's silence (51111527681).jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph|The Sovereign's Throne and its gilded Canopy dominate the ornate Lords Chamber.]]

The Chamber of the [[House of Lords]] is located in the southern part of the Palace of Westminster. The lavishly decorated room measures {{Convert|13.7|by|24.4|m|ft|0}}.<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> The benches in the Chamber, as well as other furnishings in the Lords' side of the palace, are coloured red. The upper part of the Chamber is decorated by stained glass windows and by six allegorical frescoes representing religion, chivalry and law.

At the south end of the Chamber are the ornate gold Canopy and Throne; although the Sovereign may theoretically occupy the Throne during any sitting, he or she attends only the State Opening of Parliament. Other members of the Royal Family who attend the State Opening use Chairs of State next to the Throne, and peers' sons are always entitled to sit on the steps of the Throne. In front of the Throne is the [[Woolsack]], an armless red cushion stuffed with [[wool]], representing the historical importance of the wool trade, and used by the officer presiding over the House (the [[Lord Speaker]] since 2006, but historically the [[Lord Chancellor]] or a deputy). The House's [[Ceremonial mace|mace]], which represents royal authority, is placed on the back of the Woolsack. In front of the Woolsack is the Judges' Woolsack, a larger red cushion that used to be occupied during the State Opening by the [[Law Lords]] (who were members of the House of Lords), and prospectively by the Supreme Court Justices and other Judges (whether or not members), to represent the Judicial Branch of Government. The [[Table of the House]], at which the clerks sit, is in front.

Members of the House occupy red benches on three sides of the Chamber. The benches on the Lord Speaker's right form the Spiritual Side and those to his left form the Temporal Side. The [[Lords Spiritual]] (archbishops and bishops of the established [[Church of England]]) all occupy the Spiritual Side. The [[Lords Temporal]] ([[Peerage|nobles]]) sit according to party affiliation: members of the Government party sit on the Spiritual Side, while those of the Opposition sit on the Temporal Side. Some peers, who have no party affiliation, sit on the benches in the middle of the House opposite the Woolsack; they are accordingly known as [[crossbencher]]s.

[[File:Passing of the Parliament Bill, 1911 - Project Gutenberg eText 19609.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Drawing|The passage of the [[Parliament Act 1911]]. Votes in both Houses of Parliament are conducted in the form of [[Division of the assembly|divisions]].]]

The Lords Chamber is the site of nationally televised ceremonies, the most important of which is the [[State Opening of Parliament]], which is held formally to open each annual parliamentary session, either after a General Election or in the autumn. At this occasion every constitutional element of the government is represented: the Crown (both literally, and figuratively in the person of the Sovereign), The Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and The Commons, (who together form the Legislature), the Judiciary (although no judges are members of either House of Parliament), and the Executive (both [[Minister of the Crown|Government Ministers]], and ceremonial military units in attendance on the Sovereign); and a large number of guests are invited to attend in the large Royal Gallery immediately outside the Chamber. The Sovereign, seated on the Throne, delivers the [[Speech from the Throne]], outlining the Government's programme for the year and legislative agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary session. The Commons may not enter the Lords' debating floor; instead, they watch the proceedings from beyond the Bar of the House, just inside the door. A small purely formal ceremony is held to end each parliamentary session, when the Sovereign is merely represented by a group of [[Lords Commissioners]].

Following the Blitz, which destroyed the chamber of the House of Commons, the Lords' chamber was occupied by the Commons. The Lords temporarily used the Robing Room during the reconstruction. The State Opening Of Parliament was carried out as normal, with the new rooms being used. Evidence can still be seen of this today, with damage clearly visible on one of the doors where they were struck by Black Rod.

==== Peers' Lobby ====
Directly north of the Lords Chamber lies the Peers' Lobby, an [[antechamber]] where Lords can informally discuss or negotiate matters during sittings of the House, as well as collect messages from the [[Doorkeeper (Houses of Parliament)|doorkeepers]], who control access to the Chamber. The Lobby is a square room measuring {{Convert|12|m|ft}} on each side and {{Convert|10|m|ft}} in height,<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> and one of its main features is the floor centrepiece, a radiant Tudor rose made of Derbyshire marbles and set within an octagon of engraved brass plates.<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], p. 16.</ref> The rest of the floor is paved with encaustic tiles featuring heraldic designs and Latin mottoes. The walls are faced with white stone and each is pierced by a doorway; above the arches are displayed arms representing the six royal dynasties which ruled England until Queen Victoria's reign ([[House of Wessex|Saxon]], [[Norman dynasty|Norman]], [[Plantagenet]], [[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]], [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] and [[House of Hanover|Hanoverian]]), and between them there are windows stained with the arms of the early aristocratic families of England.<ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], pp. 47–49.</ref>

Of the doorways, the one to the south—which leads into the Lords Chamber—is the most magnificent, and sports much gilding and decoration, including the full royal arms. It is enclosed by the Brass Gates, a pair of elaborately pierced and studded doors together weighing 1.5 tonnes.<ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], pp. 50–51.</ref> The side doors, which feature clocks, open into corridors: to the east extends the Law Lords Corridor, which leads to the libraries, and nearby to the west lies the Moses Room, used for Grand Committees<!-- (''see [[#Other rooms|below]]'') -->.

To the north is the vaulted Peers' Corridor, which is decorated with eight murals by [[Charles West Cope]] depicting historical scenes from the period around the [[English Civil War]].<ref name="Central Lobby tour">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/central-lobby-tour/ |title=Central Lobby virtual tour |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010 |archive-date=16 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716004602/http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/central-lobby-tour/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The frescoes were executed between 1856 and 1866,<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], p. 21.</ref><ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], p. 53.</ref> and each scene was "specifically chosen to depict the struggles through which national liberties were won".<ref name="Central Lobby tour" /> Examples include ''Speaker [[William Lenthall|Lenthall]] Asserting the Privileges of the Commons Against Charles&nbsp;I when the Attempt was Made to Seize the Five Members'', representing resistance against absolute rule, and ''The Embarkation of the Pilgrim Fathers for New England'', which illustrates the principle of freedom of worship.

=== Central Lobby ===
[[File:London - The Parliament - 2779.jpg|thumb|alt=The Central Lobby|''Saint George for England'' by [[Edward Poynter|Sir Edward Poynter]] and ''Saint Patrick for Ireland'' by [[Robert Anning Bell]] are two of the four mosaics decorating the Central Lobby.]]

Originally named "Octagon Hall" because of its shape, the Central Lobby is the heart of the Palace of Westminster. It lies directly below the Central Tower and forms a busy crossroads between the House of Lords to the south, the House of Commons to the north, St Stephen's Hall and the public entrance to the west, and the Lower Waiting Hall and the libraries to the east. Its location halfway between the two debating chambers has led constitutional theorist [[Erskine May]] to describe the Lobby as "the political centre of the British Empire",<ref>[[#Quinault|Quinault (1992)]], p. 93.</ref> and allows a person standing under the great chandelier to see both the Royal Throne and the Speaker's Chair, provided that all the intervening doors are open. Constituents may meet their Members of Parliament here, even without an appointment,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/central-lobby/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: Central Lobby |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> and this practice is the origin of the term ''[[lobbying]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/82529.stm |title=Lobbying |date=1 October 2008 |work=BBC News |access-date=21 January 2010}}</ref> The hall is also the theatre of the Speaker's Procession, which passes from here on its way to the Commons Chamber before every sitting of the House.

The Central Lobby measures {{Convert|18|m|ft}} across and {{Convert|23|m|ft}} from the floor to the centre of the vaulted ceiling.<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> The panels between the vault's ribs are covered with Venetian glass [[mosaic]] displaying floral emblems and heraldic badges, and the bosses in the intersections of the ribs are also carved into heraldic symbols.<ref>[[#Guide|''Guide to the Palace of Westminster'']], pp. 53–54.</ref> Each wall of the Lobby is contained in an arch ornamented with statues of English and Scottish monarchs; on four sides there are doorways, and the [[Tympanum (architecture)|tympana]] above them are adorned with mosaics representing the patron saints of the United Kingdom's constituent nations: [[Saint George]] for England, [[Saint Andrew]] for Scotland, [[Saint David]] for Wales and [[Saint Patrick]] for Ireland.{{#tag:ref|The [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] included all of Ireland until the [[Irish Free State]]'s creation in 1922. Decorative references to Ireland exist throughout the Palace of Westminster and include symbols like the [[Irish harp]] and the [[shamrock]]. The saints' mosaics were planned from 1847, but Robert Anning Bell's design for Ireland was completed in 1924 and reflects the [[Partition of Ireland|1920–22 partition]], with Saint Patrick flanked by [[Saint Columba]] over the [[arms of Ulster]] for [[Northern Ireland]], and [[Saint Brigid]] over the [[arms of Ireland]] for the Free State.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/art-in-parliament/online-exhibitions/the-palace-of-westminster-and-its-history/national-patron-saints/st-patrick-and-ireland/|title=St Patrick and Ireland|work=Official website|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=2 January 2016}}</ref>|group=note}} The other four arches are occupied by high windows, under which there are stone screens—the hall's post office, one of two in the palace, is located behind one of these screens. In front of them stand four bigger-than-life statues of 19th-century statesmen, including one of four-time prime minister [[William Gladstone]].<ref name="Central Lobby tour" /> The floor on which they stand is tiled with Minton encaustic tiles in intricate patterns and includes a passage from [[s:Bible, King James, Psalms#Psalm 127|Psalm 127]] written in Latin, which translates as follows: "Except the Lord build the House their labour is but lost that build it".<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], p. 19.</ref>

The East Corridor leads from the Central Lobby to the Lower Waiting Hall, and its six panels remained blank until 1910, when they were filled with scenes from Tudor history.<ref>[[#Wilson|Wilson (2005)]], p. 20.</ref> They were all paid for by [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] peers and each was the work of a different artist, but uniformity was achieved between the frescoes thanks to a common colour palette of red, black and gold and a uniform height for the depicted characters. One of the scenes is probably not historical: ''[[Plucking the Red and White Roses in the Old Temple Gardens]]'', depicting the origin of these flowers as emblems of the [[House of Lancaster|Houses of Lancaster]] and [[House of York|York]] respectively, was taken from Shakespeare's play ''[[Henry VI, Part 1]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/worksofart/artwork/henry-arthur-payne/plucking-the-red-and-white-roses-in-the-old-temple-gardens/2593 |title=Plucking the Red and White Roses in the Old Temple Gardens |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>

=== Precincts of the House of Commons ===
==== Members' Lobby ====
{{Main|Members' Lobby}}

[[File:Barack Obama in the Members' Lobby of the Palace of Westminster, 2011.jpg|thumb|left|US President [[Barack Obama]] (right) in the Members' Lobby during a tour of the Palace in May 2011. With him are, from the left: the [[Lord Great Chamberlain]], the [[David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley|Marquess of Cholmondeley]], holding his white staff of office; the [[Lord Speaker]], [[Baroness Hayman]]; and the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]], [[John Bercow]].]]

Continuing north from the Central Lobby is the Commons' Corridor. It is of almost identical design to its southern counterpart and is decorated with scenes of 17th-century political history between the Civil War and the [[Glorious Revolution|Revolution of 1688]]. They were painted by [[Edward Matthew Ward]] and include subjects like ''[[George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle|Monk]] Declaring for a Free Parliament'' and ''The Lords and Commons Presenting the Crown to [[William III of England|William III]] and [[Mary II]] in the Banqueting Hall''.<ref name="Central Lobby tour" /> Then, mirroring the arrangement at the Lords part of the palace, is another antechamber, the [[Members' Lobby]]. In this room, Members of Parliament hold discussions or negotiations, and are often interviewed by accredited journalists, collectively known as "[[The Lobby]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/members-lobby-churchill-arch/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: The Members' Lobby and the Churchill Arch |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>

The room is similar to the Peers' Lobby but plainer in design and slightly larger, forming a cube {{Convert|13.7|m|ft}} on all sides.<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> After the heavy damage it sustained in the 1941 bombing, it was rebuilt in a simplified style, something most evident in the floor, which is almost completely unadorned. The archway of the door leading into the Commons Chamber has been left unrepaired as a reminder of the evils of war, and is now known as the Rubble Arch or Churchill Arch. It is flanked by bronze statues of [[Winston Churchill]] and [[David Lloyd George]], the prime ministers who led Britain through the Second and First World War respectively; a foot of each is conspicuously shiny, a result of a long tradition of MPs rubbing them for good luck on their way in before their [[maiden speech]]. The Lobby contains the busts and statues of most 20th-century prime ministers, as well as two large boards where MPs can receive letters and telephone messages, designed for the use of the House and installed in the early 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/commons-tour/ |title=House of Commons Chamber virtual tour |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010 |archive-date=16 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716005311/http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/online-tours/virtualtours/commons-tour/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== Commons Chamber ====
The [[debating chamber|Chamber]] of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] is at the northern end of the Palace of Westminster; it was opened in 1950 after the Victorian chamber had been destroyed in 1941 and re-built under the architect [[Giles Gilbert Scott]]. The Chamber measures {{Convert|14|by|20.7|m|ft}}<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> and is plainer in style than the Lords Chamber;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palace-s-interiors/commons-chamber/|title=The Commons Chamber}}</ref> the benches, as well as other furnishings in the Commons side of the palace, are coloured green. Members of the public are forbidden to sit on the benches. Other parliaments in [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] nations, including those of [[Parliament of India|India]], [[Parliament of Canada|Canada]], [[Parliament of Australia|Australia]] and [[Parliament of New Zealand|New Zealand]], have copied the colour scheme under which the Lower House is associated with green, and the Upper House with red.

[[File:Secretary Kerry in House of Commons Chamber.jpg|alt= Examining the Dispatch Boxes|thumb|Left to right: US Secretary of State [[John Kerry]], House of Commons Speaker [[John Bercow]] and Foreign Secretary [[William Hague]] examine the [[despatch box]]es on 25 February 2013]]
At the north end of the Chamber is the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker]]'s Chair, a present to Parliament from Australia. The current British Speaker's Chair is an exact copy of the Speaker's Chair given to Australia (itself a copy of the original chair) by the  United Kingdom Branch of the [[Empire Parliamentary Association]], to celebrate the opening of [[Old Parliament House, Canberra|Provisional Parliament House, Canberra]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Speaker's Chair |url=https://www.moadoph.gov.au/explore/collection/speakers-chair |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House}}</ref> In front of the Speaker's Chair is the Table of the House, at which the clerks sit, and on which is placed the Commons' [[ceremonial mace]]. The Table was a gift from Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://old.parliament.uk/business/news/2011/may/70th-anniversary-of-commons-chamber-bombing/commonwealth-gifts/|title=Commonwealth Gifts made to the House of Commons in 1950 – UK Parliament |publisher=Parliament.uk |date=26 October 1950 |access-date=29 May 2013}}</ref> The [[dispatch box]]es, which front-bench [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) often lean on or rest notes on during Questions and speeches, are a gift from New Zealand. There are green benches on either side of the House; members of the Government party occupy benches on the Speaker's right, while those of the Opposition occupy benches on the Speaker's left. There are no cross-benches as in the House of Lords. The Chamber is relatively small, and can accommodate only 427 of the 650 Members of Parliament<ref name="Churchill and the Commons Chamber">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/architecture/palacestructure/churchill/ |title=Architecture of the Palace: Churchill and the Commons Chamber |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=14 May 2010}}</ref>—during [[Prime Minister's Questions]] and in major debates MPs stand at either end of the House.

By tradition, the British Sovereign does not enter the Chamber of the House of Commons. The last monarch to do so was [[Charles I of England|King Charles&nbsp;I]], in 1642. The King sought to arrest five Members of Parliament on charges of [[high treason]], but when he asked the Speaker, [[William Lenthall]], if he had any knowledge of the whereabouts of these individuals, Lenthall famously replied: "May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Some predecessors kept their nerve, others lost their heads |last=Sparrow |first=Andrew |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=18 October 2000 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4790900/Some-predecessors-kept-their-nerve-others-lost-their-heads.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4790900/Some-predecessors-kept-their-nerve-others-lost-their-heads.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=3 December 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  Since then, in the [[State Opening of Parliament]], when [[Black Rod]] representing the monarch approaches the doors to the chamber of the House of Commons to make the summons, the doors are pointedly slammed in his or her face. Black Rod has to strike the door three times with a staff, to be admitted and issue the summons from the monarch to the MPs to attend. When repairs after the Second World War bombing were completed, the rebuilt chamber was opened by [[King George VI]] on 26 October 1950 who was invited to an "unofficial" tour of the new structure by Commons leaders.<ref name="Liverpool">{{Cite news| title=On This Day| url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-137947037.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825082321/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-137947037.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=25 August 2011| work=Daily Post (Liverpool)| date=26 October 2005| access-date=24 May 2011}}</ref><ref name="time">{{Cite magazine| title=Foreign News: Renovated Bottle| date=6 November 1950| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,813689,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131123752/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,813689,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=31 January 2011|magazine=Time | access-date=24 May 2011}}</ref>

The two red lines on the floor of the House of Commons are {{Convert|2.5|m|ftin}}<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> apart, which, by apocryphal tradition, is intended to be just over two sword-lengths. It is said that the original purpose of this was to prevent disputes in the House from degenerating into duels. However, there is no record of a time when Members of Parliament were allowed to bring swords into the Chamber; historically only the [[Serjeant at Arms of the British House of Commons|Serjeant at Arms]] has been allowed to carry a sword as a symbol of their role in Parliament, plus [[Black Rod]] when summoning the Commons to the Lords, and there are loops of pink ribbon in the Members' cloakroom for MPs to hang up their swords before entering the Chamber. In the days when gentlemen carried swords, there were no lines in the Chamber.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rogers |first1=Robert |last2=Walters |first2=Rhodri |title=How Parliament Works |edition=6th |year=2006 |orig-year=1987 |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-1-4058-3255-7 |page=14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Robert |title=Order! Order! A Parliamentary Miscellany |year=2009 |publisher=JR Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-906779-28-3 |page=27}}</ref> Protocol dictates that MPs may not cross these lines when speaking; a Member of Parliament who violates this convention will be lambasted by opposition Members.

=== Westminster Hall ===
{{Main article|Westminster Hall}}
[[File:Westminster Hall edited.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|alt=Engraving|Westminster Hall in the early 19th century, surmounted by its medieval [[hammerbeam roof]]]]

Westminster Hall is a large medieval [[great hall]] and the oldest surviving palace building.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Westminster Hall |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/ |access-date=5 November 2023 |website=UK Parliament}}</ref> It was erected in 1097 for [[William II of England|William II]] ("William Rufus"), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cescinsky |first1=Herbert |last2=Gribble |first2=Ernest R. |date=February 1922 |title=Westminster Hall and Its Roof |journal=The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs |volume=40 |issue=227 |pages=76–84 |jstor=861585}} {{Subscription required}}</ref> The building has had various functions over the years, including being used for judicial purposes from the twelfth to the nineteenth centuries.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Early law courts |language=en |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/government-and-administration/early-law-courts/ |access-date=9 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Later Law Courts |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/government-and-administration/later-law-courts/ |access-date=23 October 2020 |publisher=UK Parliament |language=en}}</ref> When a [[List of people who have addressed both houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom|joint address]] is given to the two chambers of the UK Parliament, the House of Commons and House of Lords, the hall is on rare occasions the venue.<ref name="BBCNews25May2011_9495513">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9495000/9495513.stm |title=US President Barack Obama addressing MPs and peers |publisher=BBC News |date=22 May 2011 |access-date=25 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525111555/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9495000/9495513.stm |archive-date=25 May 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was also used to host [[coronation banquet]]s until the nineteenth century, and since the twentieth century has been the usual venue for the [[Lying in state|lyings in state]] of [[State funerals in the United Kingdom|state and ceremonial funerals]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/other-uses/coronation-banquets/ |title=Westminster Hall: Coronation Banquets |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentwork/offices-and-ceremonies/overview/lyings-in-state1/westminster/|title=Lyings-in-State in Westminster Hall|work=UK Parliament|accessdate=23 February 2023}}</ref>

The hall is particularly notable for its [[hammerbeam roof]], a form typical of [[English Gothic architecture]] which uses horizontal trusses to span large distances; the hall originally had three aisles. The roof was commissioned for [[Richard II]] in 1393 and built by the royal carpenter, [[Hugh Herland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/architecture/the-hammer-beam-roof-/ |title=The hammer-beam roof |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=28 May 2011}}</ref> It is the largest clearspan medieval roof in England, measuring 20.7 by 73.2 metres (68 by 240 ft).<ref name="Factsheet G11" /> The oak timbers came from woods in South-East England and were assembled near [[Farnham]], [[Surrey]], 56 kilometres (35 mi) away from Westminster.<ref>[[#Gerhold|Gerhold (1999)]], pp. 19–20.</ref> At the same time the rest of the hall was remodelled by the master mason [[Henry Yevele]], who refaced the walls and added fifteen life-size statues of kings placed in niches.<ref>Jonathan Alexander & Paul Binski (eds), ''Age of Chivalry, Art in Plantagenet England, 1200–1400'', pp. 506–507, Royal Academy/Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1987. Only six of the statues, rather damaged, remain, and the dias has been remodelled, but otherwise the hall remains largely as Richard and his master builder Henry Yevele left it.</ref> The renovations include eighty-three unique depictions of Richard's favourite heraldic badge, a resting chained [[white hart]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bouell |first=Charles |authorlink=Charles Boutell |title=The Handbook to English Heraldry |edition=11th |editor-last=Fox Davies |editor-first=Arthur Charles |editor-link=Arthur Charles Fox-Davies |location=London |publisher=Reeves & Turner |year=1914 |page=28}}</ref>

=== Other rooms ===
{{Main|House of Lords Library|House of Commons Library}}

There are two suites of libraries on the Principal Floor, overlooking the river, for the [[House of Lords Library]] and [[House of Commons Library]].

The Palace of Westminster also includes state apartments for the presiding officers of the two Houses. The official [[Speaker's House|residence of the Speaker]] stands at the northern end of the palace; the Lord Chancellor's apartments are at the southern end. Each day, the Speaker and Lord Speaker take part in formal processions from their apartments to their respective Chambers.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/82047.stm |title=Speaker's procession |date=30 October 2008 |work=BBC News |access-date=21 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldcomp/ldctso05.htm#a23 |title=Companion to the Standing Orders and guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords |date=19 February 2007 |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=21 May 2010}}</ref>

The [[Strangers' Bar]] is one of the numerous bars, cafeterias and restaurants in the Palace of Westminster, with differing rules regarding who is allowed to use their facilities; many of them never close while the House is sitting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g19.pdf |title=The House of Commons Refreshment Department |date=September 2003 |publisher=House of Commons Information Office |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> There is also a gymnasium, a hair salon; and there was a rifle range (which closed in 2015).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Low |first=Valentine |date=2024-08-29 |title=Lords finally bite the bullet and get rid of rifle range |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/lords-finally-bite-the-bullet-and-get-rid-of-rifle-range-8vb5bhwfct2 |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=[[The Times]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9827316/Mystery-over-cost-of-House-of-Lords-rifle-range.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9827316/Mystery-over-cost-of-House-of-Lords-rifle-range.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Mystery over cost of House of Lords rifle range |date=27 January 2013 |access-date=3 February 2013 |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Rowena |last=Mason}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Parliament also has two souvenir shops, where items on sale range from House of Commons key-rings and china to House of Commons Champagne.

== Security ==
[[File:The Palace of Westminster - geograph.org.uk - 1408776.jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph|Concrete barriers restrict access to [[Old Palace Yard]].]]

An official known as [[Black Rod]] (officially the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, or Lady Usher of the Black Rod) oversees security for the House of Lords, while the [[Serjeant at Arms of the British House of Commons|Serjeant at Arms]] does the same for the House of Commons. These officers, however, have primarily ceremonial roles outside the actual chambers of their respective Houses. Security is the responsibility of the Parliamentary Security Director. Parliament has its own professional security force. Tradition still dictates that only the Serjeant at Arms may enter the Commons chamber armed.

With rising concern about the possibility that a vehicle full of explosives could be driven into the building, a series of concrete blocks were placed in the roadway in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |title=Security tightens at Parliament |work=BBC News |date=23 May 2003 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/2931044.stm |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> On the river, an exclusion zone extending {{Convert|70|m|yd}} from the bank exists, which no unauthorised vessels are allowed to enter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pla.co.uk/notice2mariners/index_perm.cfm/flag/2/id/1090/site/recreation |title=Permanent Notice to Mariners P27 |publisher=Port of London Authority |access-date=3 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004200446/http://www.pla.co.uk/notice2mariners/index_perm.cfm/flag/2/id/1090/site/recreation |archive-date=4 October 2011}}</ref>

The [[Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005]] formerly made it illegal to hold a protest near the palace, or anywhere else within a designated area extending up to {{Convert|1|km|mi|1}} from [[Parliament Square]], without authorisation from the [[Metropolitan Police]]. The Act also restricted the operation of loudspeakers in the designated area.<ref>[[Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005]] (c.&nbsp;15), [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/15/part/4/crossheading/demonstrations-in-vicinity-of-parliament sections 132–138] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509185920/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/15/part/4/crossheading/demonstrations-in-vicinity-of-parliament |date=9 May 2013 }}.</ref> These provisions were repealed by the [[Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011]], which replaced them with a total ban on tents and sleeping bags in Parliament Square, as well as a prohibition on the use of loudspeakers in the Square without permission from the relevant local authority.<ref>[[Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011]] (c.&nbsp;13), [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/13/part/3 sections 141–149] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509151604/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/13/part/3 |date=9 May 2013 }}.</ref>

Members of the public continue to have access to the [[Strangers' Gallery]] in the House of Commons. Visitors pass through [[metal detector]]s and their possessions are scanned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/access/security/ |title=Security information |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> Police from the Palace of Westminster Division of the Metropolitan Police, supported by some armed police from the [[Diplomatic Protection Group]], are always on duty in and around the palace.

=== Incidents ===
The failed [[Gunpowder Plot]] of 1605 was a conspiracy among a group of Roman Catholic gentry to re-establish [[Catholicism in England]] by assassinating the Protestant [[James I of England|King James&nbsp;I]] and replacing him with a Catholic monarch. To this end, they placed large quantities of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords, which one of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes, would detonate during the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605. If successful, the explosion would have destroyed the palace, killing the King, his family and most of the aristocracy. However, the plot was discovered and most of the conspirators were either arrested or killed while trying to evade capture. The survivors were tortured in the [[Tower of London]], tried for [[high treason]] in Westminster Hall, convicted and gruesomely executed by [[hanging, drawing and quartering]]. Since then, the cellars of the palace have been searched by the [[Yeomen of the Guard]] before every State Opening of Parliament, a traditional precaution against any similar attempts against the Sovereign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g08.pdf |title=The Gunpowder Plot |date=September 2006 |publisher=House of Commons Information Office |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref>

The [[Sir Walter Raleigh#Execution and aftermath|execution of Sir Walter Raleigh]] occurred at the palace of Westminster on 29 October 1618.

[[File:Assassination-of-spencer-perceval.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Assassination of Spencer Perceval|assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval]] in 1812 in the lobby of the House of Commons]]

The previous Palace of Westminster was also the site of a prime-ministerial assassination on 11 May 1812. While in the lobby of the House of Commons, on his way to a parliamentary inquiry, [[Spencer Perceval]] was [[Assassination of Spencer Perceval|shot and killed]] by a Liverpool merchant adventurer, [[John Bellingham]]. Perceval remains the only [[British Prime Minister]] to have been assassinated.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/timelines/primeministers_pol/index_embed.shtml |title=Prime Ministers and Politics Timeline |publisher=BBC |access-date=16 May 2010}}</ref>

The New Palace became the target of [[Fenian]] bombs on 24 January 1885, along with the [[Tower of London]]. The first bomb, a black bag containing dynamite, was discovered by a visitor on the steps towards the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. Police Constable (PC) William Cole attempted to carry it to New Palace Yard, but the bag became so hot that Cole dropped it and it exploded.<ref name="Albert Medal">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/cultural-collections/medals/collection/albert-medal/story |title=The Albert medal: The story behind the medal in the collection |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> The blast opened a crater in the floor {{Convert|1|m|ft|0}} in diameter, damaged the roof of the chapel and shattered all the windows in the Hall, including the stained-glass South Window at St Stephen's Porch.<ref>{{Cite news |title=All England Frightened; the Damage to the Parliament Buildings Enormous |newspaper=The New York Times |date=26 January 1885 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1885/01/26/106296159.pdf |access-date=21 December 2009}}</ref> Both Cole and PC Cox, a colleague who had joined him to offer assistance, were seriously injured.<ref name="Albert Medal" /> A second explosion followed almost immediately in the Commons Chamber, causing great damage—especially to its south end—but no injuries, as it was empty at the time.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sullivan |first=T. D. |author-link=Timothy Daniel Sullivan |title=Recollections of Troubled Times in Irish Politics |year=1905 |publisher=Sealy, Bryers & Walker; M. H. Gill & Son |location=Dublin |oclc=3808618 |ol=23335082M |pages=172–173}}</ref> The incident resulted in the closure of Westminster Hall to visitors for several years; when visitors were re-admitted in 1889, it was under certain restrictions and never while the two Houses were sitting.<ref>[[#Gerhold|Gerhold (1999)]], p. 77.</ref>

On 17 June 1974, a {{Convert|9|kg|lb|adj=on}} bomb planted by the [[Provisional IRA]] exploded in Westminster Hall. The explosion and the resulting fire, which was fed by a ruptured gas main, injured 11 people and caused extensive damage.<ref>{{cite news |title=On This Day: 17 June – 1974: IRA bombs parliament |work=BBC News |date=17 June 1974 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/17/newsid_2514000/2514827.stm |access-date=2 March 2013}}</ref> Five years later, a [[car bomb]] claimed the life of [[Airey Neave]], a prominent Conservative politician, while he was driving out of the Commons car park in New Palace Yard. The attack occurred on 30 March 1979, one day after the announcement of [[1979 United Kingdom general election|that year's general election]];<ref>{{cite news |title=On This Day: 30 March – 1979: Car bomb kills Airey Neave |work=BBC News |date=30 March 1979 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/30/newsid_2783000/2783877.stm |access-date=2 March 2013}}</ref> both the [[Irish National Liberation Army]] and the Provisional IRA claimed responsibility for Neave's assassination,<ref>{{Cite news |title=From the archive: Airey Neave assassinated |last1=Pallister |first1=David |last2=Hoggart |first2=Simon |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=31 March 1979 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/mar/31/2 |access-date=2 March 2013}}</ref> but it is now accepted that the former were responsible.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brain |first=Timothy |title=A History of Policing in England and Wales from 1974: A Turbulent Journey |year=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-921866-0 |page=52}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Who are the INLA? |work=BBC News |date=11 October 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8301380.stm |access-date=2 March 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Plane Stupid on Palace of Westminster.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Plane Stupid]] activists on the roof of the Palace of Westminster]]
The palace has also been the scene of numerous acts of politically motivated "[[direct action]]", which often took place in the Chamber of the House of Commons. In July 1970, a man in the Strangers' Gallery threw two canisters of [[CS gas|tear gas]] into the Chamber to protest against the use of such gas in Northern Ireland; an MP and two members of the House's staff were taken to hospital and the sitting was suspended for almost two hours.<ref>{{Cite news |title=CS gas thrown in Commons to 'cry' of Belfast |last=Noyes |first=Hugh |newspaper=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=24 July 1970 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1970/jul/23/european-communities-ministerial-meeting|title=European Communities (Ministerial Meeting) |house=House of Commons |date=23 July 1970 |column=785}}</ref> In 1978, activist [[Yana Mintoff]] and another dissident threw bags of horse manure,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Northern Ireland: Ten Years Later: Coping and Hoping |magazine=Time |date=17 July 1978 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,916281,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404120150/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,916281,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 April 2008 |access-date=17 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1978/jul/06/scotland-bill#S5CV0953P0_19780706_HOC_246|title=Scotland Bill  |house=House of Commons |date=6 July 1978 |column_start=675 |column_end=676}}</ref> and in June 1996 demonstrators dropped leaflets.<ref name="Previous Protests">{{cite news |title=Parliament's previous protests |work=BBC News |date=27 February 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7266567.stm |access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The Member for the Isle of Wight, [[Barry Field]], subsequently commented that he was "showered by [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|national lottery]] tickets" and asked the Speaker "whether they came from that long lottery finger in the advertisement that points down to people and says, 'It could be you'&nbsp;".<ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1996/jun/12/points-of-order#S6CV0279P0_19960612_HOC_291 |house=House of Commons |title=Points of Order|date=12 June 1996 |column=323}}</ref> |group=note}} Concern about such attacks and a possible chemical or biological attack led to the installation of a glass screen across the Strangers' Gallery in early 2004.

The new barrier does not cover the gallery in front of the Strangers' Gallery, which is reserved for ambassadors, members of the House of Lords, guests of MPs and other dignitaries,<ref>See diagram of the Chamber's gallery level at {{Cite book |last=Peele |first=Gillian |title=Governing the UK |edition=4th |year=2004 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=Oxford; Malden, Massachusetts; Carlton, Victoria |isbn=978-0-631-22681-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/governingukbriti0004peel/page/203 203] |url=https://archive.org/details/governingukbriti0004peel/page/203 }}</ref> and in May 2004 protesters from [[Fathers 4 Justice]] attacked Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] with flour bombs from this part, after obtaining admission by bidding for a place in the visitors' gallery in a charity auction.<ref>{{cite news |title=Blair hit during Commons protest |work=BBC News |date=19 May 2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3728617.stm |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> Subsequently, rules on admission to the visitors' galleries were changed, and now individuals wishing to sit in the galleries must first obtain a written pass from a Member certifying that that individual is personally known to them. In September of the same year, five protesters opposed to the proposed ban on [[fox hunting]] disrupted the proceedings of the House of Commons by running into the Chamber, the first such occurrence since [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]]'s unauthorised entry in 1642, which triggered the [[English Civil War]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Pro-hunt protesters storm Commons |work=BBC News |date=15 September 2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3656524.stm |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref>

The House of Lords has also been targeted by protesters. On 2 February 1988, the House debated the [[Local Government Act 1988|Local Government Bill]]'s controversial [[Clause 28]], a measure to prohibit the promotion of homosexuality in schools.<ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1988/feb/02/local-government-bill|title=Local Government Bill |house=House of Lords |date=2 February 1988 |column_start=993 |column_end=1023}}</ref> Following the [[Division of the assembly|division]], in which the clause passed, a number of lesbian demonstrators in the public gallery started chanting slogans, and three of them tied ropes to the railing and climbed down onto the floor of the Chamber.<ref name="Previous Protests" /><ref>{{Cite news |title=Rope trick ladies drop in on the Lords |last=Travis |first=Alan |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=3 February 1988 |page=1}}</ref> [[Gerard Collier, 5th Baron Monkswell|Lord Monkswell]], who had provided the women with passes to attend the debate, later apologised to the House for the incident but did not criticise the protest.<ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1988/feb/04/lord-monkswell-personal-statement|title=Lord Monkswell: Personal Statement |house=House of Lords |date=4 February 1988 |column=1183}}</ref>

Similar actions have been carried out outside the Palace of Westminster. Early in the morning of 20 March 2004, two [[Greenpeace]] members scaled the Clock Tower to demonstrate against the [[Iraq War]], raising questions about the security around such a likely target of terrorist attacks.<ref>{{cite news |title= Big Ben breach 'immensely worrying' |work=BBC News |date=20 March 2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3552491.stm |access-date=22 January 2010}}</ref> In March 2007, another four members of Greenpeace made their way to the palace's roof by means of a nearby crane, which was being used for repairs to Westminster Bridge. Once up, they unfurled a {{Convert|15|m|ft|-1|adj=on}} banner protesting against the British government's plans to update the [[Trident nuclear programme]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Commons crane protest at Trident |work=BBC News |date=13 March 2007 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6444619.stm |access-date=22 January 2010}}</ref>

In February 2008, five campaigners from the [[Plane Stupid]] group gained admittance to the building as visitors and then moved up to the roof to demonstrate against the proposed [[expansion of Heathrow Airport]]; from there they hung two banners they had smuggled past security. MPs and security experts found it worrying that the protesters made it to the roof in spite of the heightened security measures,<ref>{{cite news |title=Parliament rooftop protest ends |publisher=BBC News |date=27 February 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7266512.stm |access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref> and the prosecution at the activists' trial argued that they may have received help from a House of Lords employee.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Five in court for rooftop protest at Westminster |last=Barkham |first=Patrick |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=13 November 2008 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/nov/13/activists-climate-change |access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Five 'unfurled' Heathrow banners |publisher=BBC News |date=12 November 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7724873.stm |access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref> In October 2009, at least forty Greenpeace activists climbed to the roof of Westminster Hall to call for the adoption of policies [[combating climate change]]. Some of them climbed down after nearly five hours, while the rest spent the night on the roof.{{#tag:ref|Sources differ on the exact number of demonstrators. A House of Commons spokeswoman stated that 45 people climbed to the roof,<ref name="Telegraph 2009">{{Cite news |title=Greenpeace protesters refuse to leave roof of Palace of Westminster |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=12 October 2009 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/climatechange/6303707/Greenpeace-protesters-refuse-to-leave-roof-of-Palace-of-Westminster.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/climatechange/6303707/Greenpeace-protesters-refuse-to-leave-roof-of-Palace-of-Westminster.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=3 April 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Independent 2009">{{Cite news |title=Rooftop protest continues as MPs return |last1=Sinclair |first1=Joe |last2=Hutt |first2=Rosamond |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=12 October 2009 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rooftop-protest-continues-as-mps-return-1801471.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rooftop-protest-continues-as-mps-return-1801471.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="Guardian 2009">{{Cite news |title=Greenpeace protesters spend night on parliament roof |last=Pidd |first=Helen |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=12 October 2009 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/oct/12/greenpeace-westminster-roof-protest |access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref> and a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said that 20 climbed down on the first day,<ref name="Telegraph 2009" /><ref name="Independent 2009" /> but 31 activists stayed there overnight according to Greenpeace,<ref name="Guardian 2009" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Parliament rooftop protest ends |publisher=BBC News |date=12 October 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8301586.stm |access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref> and the BBC later reported that 54 people were charged with "trespassing on land designated a protected site".<ref>{{cite news |title=Parliament rooftop protest leads to 55 charges |publisher=BBC News |date=12 March 2010 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8565359.stm |access-date=20 February 2013}}</ref> |group=note}}

On 22 March 2017 an [[Islamic terrorism|Islamist]]-related terror attack was carried out in which [[2017 Westminster attack|a man stabbed a police officer]] after ploughing into pedestrians on [[Westminster Bridge]]. Five people were killed, including the attacker and the police officer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39359158|title=London attack: Four dead in Westminster terror incident|publisher=BBC News|date=22 March 2017}}. A colleague of the officer who was stationed nearby was armed and shot the attacker.</ref> In August 2018 there was [[2018 Westminster car incident|another attack]], treated by prosecutors as terrorism.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45180120 |title=Westminster car crash: Man arrested on suspicion of terror offences |publisher=BBC News |access-date=14 August 2018|date=14 August 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Westminster car crash: Suspect appears in court |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45247289 |access-date=20 August 2018 |publisher=BBC News |date=20 August 2018 |quote=Three people were injured in the incident on 14 August, which is being treated by prosecutors as terrorism.}}</ref>

On 1 April 2019, a group of environmental protestors from the group [[Extinction Rebellion]] stripped semi-naked in the public gallery during a [[Brexit]] debate and glued themselves to the handrail and glass screen with their buttocks facing the Commons Chamber.  MPs attempted to continue the debate, some of them incorporating puns and references to nakedness into their speeches, to much hilarity.<ref>{{cite news |title=Semi-naked climate protesters disrupt Brexit debate |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/01/semi-naked-climate-protesters-disrupt-brexit-debate |access-date=15 September 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=1 April 2019 |quote=Activists spent almost 20 minutes with their hands glued to the public gallery and buttocks facing the chamber.}}</ref>

There have been four fires on the Palace of Westminster site during 2019, and eight in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/foi/foi-and-eir/commons-foi-disclosures/estates-information/fires-2019/|title=Fires (2019)|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=12 October 2020}}</ref>

In 2022, the body of the late Queen Elizabeth was left inside the hall for people to pay their respects. A man decided to jump the barriers and pull away the flag draped over the coffin. He was detained and taken away by police and officials.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/united-kingdom/man-arrested-by-police-after-rushing-towards-queen-elizabeth-iis-coffin-trying-to-pull-royal-standard-flag-off-casket/news-story/9ef2a8ea0ec3c72c1f2fd723a1bb9a33?amp | title='Happened so fast': Horror as man is tackled after rushing at Queen's coffin | date=16 September 2022 }}</ref>

== Rules and traditions ==
The palace has accumulated many rules and traditions over the centuries.

=== Eating, drinking and smoking ===
Smoking has not been allowed in the chamber of the House of Commons since the 17th century.<ref name="Factsheet G07">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g07.pdf |title=Some Traditions and Customs of the House |date=January 2009 |publisher=House of Commons Information Office |access-date=5 August 2010}}</ref> As a result, Members may take [[snuff (tobacco)|snuff]] instead and the doorkeepers still keep a [[Parliamentary snuff box|snuff-box]] for this purpose. Despite persistent media rumours, it has not been permitted to smoke anywhere inside the palace since 2005.<ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070611/text/70611w0004.htm#07061114000542|title=Palace of Westminster: Smoking |house=House of Commons |date=11 June 2007 |access-date=31 May 2008 |column=736W}}</ref> Members may not eat or drink in the chamber; the exception to this rule is the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]], who may have a beverage of the Chancellors' choice while delivering the [[United Kingdom budget|Budget]] statement.<ref name="FaqsBudget">{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-commons-faqs/budget/ |title=Faqs: The Budget and Parliament |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=20 March 2018 |archive-date=9 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609232149/http://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-commons-faqs/budget/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Traditionally this is an alcoholic beverage, often whisky or a similar spirit, but in recent times, Chancellors have opted for water.<ref name="FaqsBudget" />

=== Dress code ===
[[File:Lionel de Rothschild HOC.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Introduction (British House of Commons)|introduction]] of a new Member of Parliament, 1858. Wearing hats in the House of Commons has not always been treated in the same way.]]

Men are expected to wear formal attire, women are expected to dress in business-like clothing and the wearing of T-shirts with slogans is not allowed.<ref>{{cite news|title=9 absurd rules about what you can't do in Parliament|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/9-absurd-things-youre-not-allowed-to-do-in-parliament-10250704.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/9-absurd-things-youre-not-allowed-to-do-in-parliament-10250704.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Independent}}</ref>  Hats must not be worn (although they used to be worn when a [[point of order]] was being raised),<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/82580.stm |title=Points of Order |date=22 September 2009 |work=BBC News |access-date=22 January 2010}}</ref> and members may not wear military decorations or insignia. Members are not allowed to have their hands in their pockets{{mdash}}[[Andrew Robathan]] was heckled by opposing MPs for doing this on 19 December 1994.<ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199495/cmhansrd/1994-12-19/Orals-1.html#Orals-1_spnew17|title=Column 1380 |house=House of Commons |date=19 December 1994 |access-date=31 May 2008 |column=1380}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/81960.stm |title=You can't do that! |publisher=BBC News |date=5 April 2012 |access-date=31 October 2008}}</ref>

=== Other traditions ===
The only animals allowed in the Palace of Westminster are [[guide dog]]s, [[police dog]]s and [[Mounted police|police horses]].<ref name="Factsheet G07" /><ref>{{cite news |title=MP's Commons cow protest banned |publisher=BBC News |date=3 June 2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/7432814.stm |access-date=22 January 2010}}</ref>

Speeches may not be read out during debate in the House of Commons, although notes may be referred to. Similarly, the reading of newspapers is not allowed. Visual aids are discouraged in the chamber.<ref>{{Cite Hansard |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199192/cmhansrd/1992-02-12/Debate-1.html#Debate-1_spnew27|title=Column 983 |house=House of Commons |date=12 February 1992 |access-date=31 May 2008 |column=983}}</ref> [[Applause]] is also not normally allowed in the Commons, but it has since been tolerated in certain cases. Some notable exceptions to this were when [[Robin Cook]] gave his resignation speech in 2003;<ref>{{cite news |title=Cook's resignation speech |work=BBC News |date=18 March 2003 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2859431.stm |access-date=3 December 2009}}</ref> when Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] appeared for the last time at [[Prime Minister's Questions]];<ref>{{Cite news |title=Blair resigns, Brown takes power |newspaper=The Age |location=Melbourne |date=27 June 2007 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Blair-resigns-Brown-takes-power/2007/06/27/1182623982652.html |access-date=17 May 2010}}</ref> when Speaker [[Michael Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn|Michael Martin]] gave his leaving speech on 17 June 2009;<ref>{{cite news |title=Martin's parting shot on expenses |work=BBC News |date=17 June 2009 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8104311.stm |access-date=13 May 2010}}</ref> and after the resignation statement of [[Robert Rogers, Baron Lisvane|Sir Robert Rogers]], Clerk of the House.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10808943/Sir-Robert-Rogers-finds-comfort-in-retirement.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10808943/Sir-Robert-Rogers-finds-comfort-in-retirement.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sir Robert Rogers finds comfort in retirement|author=Tim Walker|editor=Katy Balls|date=6 May 2014|work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> At the start of the new parliament in May 2015, the large influx of new [[Scottish National Party]] MPs flouted the convention and repeatedly applauded their party leader, to the displeasure of the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wheeler |first1=Brian |title=Why are MPs banned from clapping? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32913113 |access-date=3 April 2017 |publisher=BBC News |date=28 May 2015}}</ref>

The status of the building as a royal palace raises legal questions{{mdash}}according to [[Halsbury's Laws of England]], it is not possible to arrest a person within the "verges" of the palace (the palace itself and its immediate surroundings).<ref>{{Halsbury|12(1)|Crown and Royal Family|53}}</ref> However, according to a memorandum by the [[Clerk of the House of Commons]], there is no prohibition on arrest within the palace and such arrests have been effected in the past.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jack |first=Malcolm |title=Arrest of Members and searching of offices in the Parliamentary precincts |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/privilege-police-090914.pdf |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=23 August 2011}}</ref>

== Culture and tourism ==

{{Multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| header            = Claude Monet's [[Houses of Parliament (Monet series)|''Houses of Parliament'' series]]
| footer            = During three trips to London between 1899 and 1901, [[Impressionist]] painter [[Claude Monet]] worked on [[Houses of Parliament series (Monet)|a series of canvasses]] that depicted the Palace of Westminster under various lighting conditions; the building was often shrouded in the [[Pea soup fog|smog]] prevalent in the city in Victorian times. The paintings share the same vantage point{{mdash}}a terrace at [[St Thomas's Hospital]], across the river from the Palace{{mdash}}and many of the works were finished in Monet's studio in France over the following years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Paintings reveal pollution clues |work=BBC News |date=9 August 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5256950.stm |access-date=30 October 2010}}</ref>
| width             = 170
| image1            = Claude Monet - The Houses of Parliament, Sunset.jpg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = ''The Houses of Parliament, sunset'' (1903), [[National Gallery of Art]], Washington, D.C.
| image2            = London, the Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Opening in Fog, by Claude Monet.jpg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = ''London, Houses of Parliament. The Sun Shining through the Fog'' (1904), [[Musée d'Orsay]], Paris
}}

The exterior of the Palace of Westminster{{mdash}}especially the [[Elizabeth Tower]] which houses the bell known as [[Big Ben]], and its setting on the bank of the [[River Thames]]—is recognised worldwide, and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in London. [[Tsar Nicholas I]] called it "a dream in stone".<ref name="helmguardian">{{Cite news |last=Helm |first=Toby |date=14 January 2017 |title=Parliament burned down 183 years ago. Only 24-hour patrols are stopping another fire |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/14/secret-report-palace-westminster-grave-risk-fire-saftey |access-date=22 December 2018 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The [[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]] (UNESCO) classifies the Palace of Westminster, along with neighbouring [[Westminster Abbey]] and [[St Margaret's, Westminster|St Margaret's]], as a [[World Heritage Site]]. It is also a [[Grade I listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1226284|desc=Houses of Parliament and The Palace of Westminster|access-date=4 October 2021}}</ref>

Although there is no casual access to the interior of the palace, there are several ways to gain admittance. UK residents may obtain tickets from an MP for a place in the viewing ("strangers") gallery of the House of Commons, or from a Lord for a seat in the gallery of the House of Lords. It is also possible for both UK residents and overseas visitors to queue for admission to them at any time of the day or night when either House is in session, but capacity is limited and there is no guarantee of admission. Either House may exclude "strangers" if it desires to sit in private.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/watch-committees-and-debates/debates/ |title=Attend debates |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=3 April 2017}}</ref> Members of the public can also queue for a seat in a committee session, where admission is free and places cannot be booked,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/watch-committees-and-debates/committees/ |title=Watch committees |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=3 April 2017}}</ref> or they may visit the Parliamentary Archives for research purposes. Booking an appointment is necessary in the latter case, along with a proof of identity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/parliamentary-archives/visiting-and-services/archives-planning-your-visit/ |title=Visit the Parliamentary Archives |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=3 April 2017}}</ref>

{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage= [[File:North Front detail, Palace of Westminster.jpg|210px]] | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oBUIo5R5qg Charles Barry and A. W. N. Pugin, Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), 1840–70], [[Smarthistory]], 6:27
}}
Free guided tours of the palace are held throughout the parliamentary session for UK residents, who can apply through their MP or a member of the House of Lords. The tours last about 75&nbsp;minutes and include the state rooms, the chambers of the two Houses and Westminster Hall. Paid-for tours are available to both UK and overseas visitors during the summer recess and Saturdays throughout the year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament/guided-tours-of-parliament/|title=Houses of Parliament guided tours|website=UK Parliament|language=en |access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament/tours/|title=Arrange a tour through your MP|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> Tours of the Elizabeth Tower were suspended until 2021 while the tower underwent refurbishment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament/bigben/ |title=Big Ben and the Elizabeth Tower tours |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=5 November 2019 }}</ref>
<!-- Filming is forbidden in the Palace of Westminster; for representations of the building's interior in films, [[Manchester Town Hall]] has been used on a number of occasions. [needs source] -->

Architectural historian [[Dan Cruickshank]] selected the palace as one of his five choices for the 2006 [[BBC]] television documentary series ''[[Britain's Best Buildings]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/bbb-parliament.shtml |title=Britain's Best Buildings: Palace of Westminster |publisher=BBC Four |location=UK |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525052453/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/bbb-parliament.shtml |archive-date=25 May 2007}}</ref>

The nearest London Underground station is [[Westminster tube station|Westminster]], on the [[District line|District]], [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle]] and [[Jubilee line]]s.

In 2015, Parliament organised a year-long programme of events called "[[Parliament in the Making]]" to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of [[Magna Carta]] on 15 June, and the 750th anniversary of the [[Montfort's Parliament|first representative parliament]] on 20 January.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parliament in the Making: 2015 Historic Anniversaries programme |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/2015-parliament-in-the-making/2015-historic-anniversaries/an-introduction-to-parliament-in-the-making/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114060642/http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/2015-parliament-in-the-making/2015-historic-anniversaries/an-introduction-to-parliament-in-the-making/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 January 2015 |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=18 January 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=2015 Anniversaries: An Update|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/house/Papers/2013-14/180613/M2-13-14-06-2015-Anniversaries.pdf|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=18 January 2015|date=11 June 2013|archive-date=18 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118104332/http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/house/Papers/2013-14/180613/M2-13-14-06-2015-Anniversaries.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Events were coordinated with [[Parliament Week]]. The BBC held events throughout the year including a "Democracy Day" on 20 January consisting of live discussions and debate in partnership with the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker's Office]] of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], including broadcasts from inside the Palace of Westminster.<ref>{{cite web|title=BBC marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta with 'Taking Liberties' season|url=http://magnacarta800th.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/BBC-Taking-Liberties-Press-Release.pdf|publisher=BBC|access-date=18 January 2015}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Proposed relocation of the Parliament of the United Kingdom]]
* [[List of legislative buildings]]
** [[Parliament Buildings (Northern Ireland)]]
** [[Senedd building|Senedd Building]]
** [[Scottish Parliament Building]]
* [[List of palaces#England|Official royal residences in London]]:
** [[Buckingham Palace]] – The principal royal residence since 1837
** [[Kensington Palace]] – The principal residence of English and later British monarchs between 1689 and 1760
** [[Palace of Whitehall]] – The principal residence of the English kings from 1530 until 1689
** [[St James's Palace]] – The principal royal residence from 1702 until 1837, which continues today as the formal palace of the monarchy as the [[Court of St James's]]
***[[Clarence House]] – a princely home, built on palace grounds in the 1820s.
*** [[Bushy House]] – future [[William IV]] took up residence here in 1797 when appointed Ranger of Bushy Park, and remained through his reign as king (1830–1837)

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

== References ==

=== Footnotes ===
{{Reflist|20em}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{Cite book |last=Cooke |first=Sir Robert |author-link=Robert Cooke (Conservative politician) |title=The Palace of Westminster |year=1987 |publisher=Burton Skira |location=London |isbn=978-0-333-45923-2 |ref=Cooke |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/palaceofwestmins00sirr}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Fell |first1=Sir Bryan H. |last2=Mackenzie |first2=K. R. |author-link2=Kenneth R. Mackenzie |editor-last=Natzler |editor-first=D. L |title=The Houses of Parliament: A Guide to the Palace of Westminster |edition=15th |year=1994 |orig-year=1930 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |isbn=978-0-11-701579-1 |ref=Fell}}
* {{Cite book |last=Field |first=John |title=The Story of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster |year=2002 |publisher=Politico's Publishing; James & James Publishers |location=London |isbn=978-1-904022-14-5 |ref=Field}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gerhold |first=Dorian |title=Westminster Hall: Nine Hundred Years of History |year=1999 |publisher=James & James Publishers |location=London |isbn=978-0-907383-88-8 |ref=Gerhold}}
* {{Cite book |title=Guide to the Palace of Westminster |year=1911|publisher=Warrington |location=London |oclc=5081639 |ol=13507081M |ref=Guide}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Christopher |title=The Great Palace: The Story of Parliament |year=1983 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |location=London |isbn=978-0-563-20178-6 |ref=Jones |url=https://archive.org/details/greatpalacestory00jone }}
* {{Cite book |last=Macdonald |first=Peter |title=Big Ben: The Bell, the Clock and the Tower |year=2004 |publisher=Sutton Publishing |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0-7509-3828-0 |ref=Macdonald}}
* {{Cite book |editor-last=Port |editor-first=M. H. |title=The Houses of Parliament |year=1976 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Connecticut; London |isbn=978-0-300-02022-9 |ref=Port |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/housesofparliame0000unse_b1r4}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Quinault |first=Roland |year=1992 |title=Westminster and the Victorian Constitution |journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |volume=2 |series=6 |pages=79–104 |doi=10.2307/3679100 |ref=Quinault|jstor=3679100 |s2cid=154705280 }} {{Subscription required}}
* {{Cite book |editor1-last=Riding |editor1-first=Christine |editor2-last=Riding |editor2-first=Jacqueline |title=The Houses of Parliament: History, Art, Architecture |year=2000 |publisher=Merrell Publishers |location=London |isbn=978-1-85894-112-7 |ref=Riding}}
* {{Cite book |last=Tanfield |first=Jennifer |title=In Parliament 1939–50: The Effect of the War on the Palace of Westminster |year=1991 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |isbn=978-0-10-850640-6 |oclc=26808272 |ref=Tanfield}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Robert |title=The Houses of Parliament |year=2005 |orig-year=1994 |publisher=Jarrold Publishing |location=Norwich |isbn=978-1-84165-099-9 |ref=Wilson}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Shenton |first=Caroline |title=The Day Parliament Burned Down |year=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-964670-8 |oclc=785869543}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/}}
* [http://virtualexperience.co.uk/?page=projects&sub=westminsterhall Westminster Hall – A Virtual Experience]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523131008/http://www.virtualexperience.co.uk/?page=projects&sub=westminsterhall |date=23 May 2016 }}.
* [https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/collections/churchillexhibition/churchill-death/queens-letter/ Winston Churchill State Funeral – Westminster Hall – UK Parliament Living Heritage]
* [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123758504383299443 "A Victorian Novel in Stone"], Rosemary Hill, ''The Wall Street Journal'', 20 March 2009.
* [https://archives.parliament.uk/collections/getrecord/GB61_BIR Parliamentary Archives, Designs and working drawings for the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501012740/https://archives.parliament.uk/collections/getrecord/GB61_BIR |date=1 May 2021 }}.

{{Parliamentary Estate}}
{{London history}}
{{London landmarks}}
{{Royal palaces in the United Kingdom}}
{{World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom}}
{{Parliament Square}}
{{Portal bar|United Kingdom|England|London|Architecture|History|Monarchy|Politics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Palace of Westminster| ]]
[[Category:1870 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Augustus Pugin buildings]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1097]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures on the River Thames]]
[[Category:Burned buildings and structures in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Gothic Revival architecture in London]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1870]]
[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Grade I listed government buildings]]
[[Category:Grade I listed palaces|Westminster, Palace Of]]
[[Category:History of the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Legislative buildings in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Limestone buildings in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:National government buildings in London]]
[[Category:Official residences in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Parliament of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Parliamentary Estate]]
[[Category:Rebuilt buildings and structures in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Royal residences in the City of Westminster|Westminster, Palace Of]]
[[Category:Legislative buildings in Europe|Westminster, Palace Of]]
[[Category:Seats of national legislatures]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in London|Westminster Palace]]