The two Houses of Parliament are better known as Palace of Westminster. As the name suggests, it is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Parliament itself consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The Houses of Parliament is comprised of several buildings and even more numerous offices and chambers. Westminster Hall represents the oldest part of the building, dating from 1097. That time span covers over 900 years of British history.

An integral part of the Houses of Parliament complex is the famous clock tower nicknamed Big Ben. Its height is 96.3 meters (or 316 ft).

Another important tower is the Victoria Tower. It is the tallest and largest of the three towers decorating the Palace of Westminster, with a height of 98.5 meters (or 323 ft). It used to be called “King’s Tower”, and has been gradually raised and rebuilt throughout its history. In 1858, it finally reached its current height, being the tallest secular building in the world at the time.

The third of the Palace towers is the octagonal Central Tower, with height of 91 meters (or 299 ft) and standing proudly in the middle of the complex. It is the shortest of the three towers, although the difference between the tallest and the shortest is only 7 meters.

 


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