Things to do in London - The Houses of Parliament - Westminister Palace

The Houses of Parliament also known as Westminster Palace present an assemblage of houses possesing Gothic style that are the official home of British government. This is where the two Houses of the British Parlament meet within the House of Lords and the House of Commons to debate and pass laws. The nearby Parliament Square offers the best views of this massive expanse of the building. Historically, it dates back to the times of Canute the Great (1016–35), one of the first rulers and occupies an area of eight acres. It includes over thousand rooms (Westminster Hall, Royal Gallery, Crypt Church, the Prince’s Chamber, Commons Library and the Peers Library , The Robing Room) and eleven courtyards. After a great fire (1834) that devastated part of the building and subsequent refurbishment (1840) the palace takes up its current Ghotic architecture designed by Sir Charles Barry. Also the Second World War inflicted damage to the monument but it was soon renovated. The successive increase of necessary office space in 1975 and the following years has allowed all MPs to have their own office facilities. It is a tradition for The Queen to ride in in her coach to Westminster to open each new session of Parliament which takes place in the second week of November. It is possible for UK citizens to ask their Prime Minister a question during so called PMQ (Prime Minister’s Question Time) but they must arrange it with their local MP beforehand.