ABOUT PARLIAMENT
The Palace of Westminster
History:
The site upon which the Palace of Westminster stands has been linked with political and judicial power since mediaeval times. There are a number of reasons why the location of the site, on the banks of the River Thames, was an ideal place to build a Royal Palace. Most important amongst these considerations were the new Palace's suitable distance from the noise and pollution of the city and its close proximity to the Abbey.
King Canute (early 11th century), is the oldest recorded monarch to have been linked with the site. Later in the century William I, having established his first stronghold at the Tower, moved to Westminster Palace and it was during the reign of his son William Rufus, that the first extant buildings on the site date. Westminster Hall, the crypt and the cloisters are the oldest surviving sections of the Palace.
Rebuilt in the 14th century by Henry Yevele, Westminster Hall became London's judicial centre. It contained many shops and stalls, selling legal paraphernalia and was the location for many notable state trials: Thomas More, Charles I and the Gunpowder Plot conspirators were all tried in the Hall.
Of huge importance to the development of the British Parliament was the construction of the Great Hall. The existence of the Great Hall, which at the time was the largest in Europe, helped to make Westminster the ceremonial centre of the kingdom. The congregation of bishops, nobles and ministers as a Royal Council became the forerunner for the present House of Lords. Whilst the separate meetings of knights from the shires and burgesses from the towns, from the 14th century onwards, were the embryonic origin of what is now the House of Commons.
Fires on the site have played a considerable role in the development of the Houses of Parliament.
It was after a fire in 1512 that Henry VIII decided to abandon the Palace as a residence and move to Whitehall Palace. As a result of this, the Canons of St Stephen's, the religious order which had held the services for the royal family, were dismissed, and by 1550 St Stephen's Chapel had become the first permanent home of the House of Commons.
The most dramatic change occurred after the fire of 1834, in which the mediaeval palace with its later additions were nearly entirely destroyed. Only Westminster Hall was saved. The fire was started by the over-zealousness of caretakers who were asked to burn the enormous number of "tally sticks" which had accumulated in the basement of the Palace. Tally sticks were the official method of recording payment to the Exchequer and were either made from ash or elm. They over-stoked the stove with tally sticks which led to an explosion and a devastating fire. It was decided that the site should be completely redeveloped. Charles Barry won the public competition for the new Parliament and was helped in the matter of detail, fittings and furniture by Augustus Welby Pugin. Pugin's obsessive attention to detail lead him to an early grave at the age of 41, having spent seven years on the project. The new Palace of Westminster was formally finished in 1870.
German bombing in 1941 started a fire which completely destroyed the Chamber and threatened Westminster HallHallH. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed a new steel-framed building which contained a new Chamber and three floors of offices.
The building as it stands today:
The Palace of Westminster as it stands today is on four main levels. The ground floor houses offices, private dining rooms, bars and meeting rooms; the first floor the Chambers, Libraries, and dining rooms. The second and third floors are given over largely to Committee rooms. In addition, there are three towers: the Victoria Tower at the southern end, the Clock Tower (Big Ben) at the northern end and the very distinctive Central Tower built above the Central Lobby.
The Palace is effectively split into two sections: the Lords to the south and the Commons to the north. Pugin's interior design delineates the two sections by having the Lords side carpeted in ornate red and gold and the Common's in austere green and brown. Some suggest the difference in the two designs is indicative of the relationship between Lords and Members. The few remaining Royal sections are predominantly blue. Central Lobby is, as the name suggests, the centrepiece of the entire building. Central Lobby is approached through St Stephen's Hall, where the Commons once sat. In Central Lobby a constituent can demand to see his or her MP. If the Member is in the environs of the Palace, he or she is obliged to take a moment to tend to their concerns.
The House of Commons has, in recent years, outgrown the boundaries of the Palace of Westminster and a number of other nearby buildings are used. The two Norman Shaw Buildings and No.7 Millbank (not to be confused with Labour Party HQ), house offices for MPs and their staff. In 1991, Parliament Street Building was opened. A new environmentally friendly building called Portcullis House, designed by the architect Michael Hopkins, was opened by the Queen in early 2001.
