Houses of Parliament

The story behind the place

The Palace of Westminster stands beside London's River Thames. A devastating fire in 1834 led to the construction of the new palace, designed by Charles Barry with Augustus Welby Pugin contributing to its Gothic Revival character. Its clock tower became one of London's most familiar silhouettes. The Great Clock began operating in May 1859, and the Great Bell first sounded that July. Looking along the riverside frontage, the long parliamentary buildings and their towers form a single architectural composition rather than an isolated clock tower.

Find Houses of Parliament on the map, record the discovery in your travel journal and continue exploring nearby places.