davidChief · CC BY 2.0 Why visit
Palace of Westminster and Big Ben is worth allowing time for because it combines a structure whose engineering, design and relationship with its surroundings can be read on site. The site is more useful than a quick photograph: its surviving features give clear evidence of how the place developed and how people used it. Key things to concentrate on are key structural details and the building’s relationship with the surrounding streetscape or landscape. Its position in or near London also makes it a practical anchor for exploring the surrounding region without reducing the visit to a simple landmark stop.
What you will see
- key structural details.
- the building’s relationship with the surrounding streetscape or landscape.
History
A royal palace developed beside Westminster Abbey in the Middle Ages and became a centre of government. Most of the complex was destroyed by fire in 1834; Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin shaped the 19th-century rebuilding.
Photographs
davidChief · CC BY 2.0 · full attribution on the image credits page.
Visitor tips
- 1
Allow enough time for the principal features rather than treating the stop only as a photograph.
- 2
Check the official visitor page shortly before travel for access, booking and any temporary restrictions.
About London
London’s historic, civic, museum and royal districts, with dense public transport and many major sights within short urban journeys.
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