Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

After a fire in the 19th century, Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin rebuilt the palace in the Gothic Revival style. Westminster Hall is the oldest part and survived the fire; its timber roof is considered one of the largest of its kind. If you want to watch a debate, you can visit the public galleries of the chambers free of charge when Parliament is sitting.

Background

The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is colloquially known as the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative chambers which occupy the building. The palace is one of the centres of political life in the United Kingdom; "Westminster" has become a metonym for the UK Parliament and government, and the Westminster system of government commemorates the name of the palace. The Elizabeth Tower of the palace houses the bell nicknamed Big Ben and 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.

From Wikipedia: “Palace of Westminster”, licence CC BY-SA 4.0