That temple was supposedly destroyed in an earthquake, and no trace of it remains, if, indeed, it ever existed. The name was contracted over time until the area around the church became known as Westminster. In the 10th century Westminster church was re-established as a Benedictine monastery. In the early years of the 11th century, King Cnut built a royal palace on Thorney Island, a rise of high ground in the River Tyburn. The most influential Saxon king, however, was Edward the Confessor, who founded Westminster Abbey and built a new royal palace beside his great new monastic foundation.
When William the Conqueror came to the throne he used the existing Palace and Abbey as his base of power in London, but it was his son, William Rufus, who began to transform the earlier Saxon palace. William Rufus began building Westminster Hall in and created the largest royal hall in Europe. The Hall was used as a ceremonial centre, for banqueting and entertaining. Over the next few centuries, several of the most important administrative arms of government, such as the Court of Common Plea and the Chancery, were established at Westminster Hall.
It was not until the 13th century, however, that Westminster was used as the centre for parliamentary gatherings. The first true Parliament, called by Simon de Montfort in , probably met in the chapter house of nearby Westminster Abbey , but by the reign of Edward I gatherings met in the king's private chamber, called the Painted Chamber, or in the neighbouring White Chamber.
Because the Palace was first and foremost a royal residence, there was no venue set aside for Parliament to meet. Aside from the Hall itself, other remains of the medieval palace include the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, begun by Edward I in for the royal household and court. Across the road from the current Palace is another medieval survivor, the Jewel Tower , built in by Edward III as a storeroom for royal gold, silver, and jewels.
Over the following centuries, it became a repository for all manner of royal treasure, including clothing, children's toys, even the royal chess set. Today the Jewel Tower is administered by English Heritage and is regularly open to the public. On 16 October , a pair of stoves used to burn old tally sticks for the Exchequer started a fire that soon swept through the timber-framed Palace.
It was the worst fire in London's history to that point, save for the Great Fire of London. Records stored in the Jewel Tower were saved only because the wind was blowing the other way. An architectural competition was launched to choose a design for a new Palace of Westminster.
The winning entry was by Sir Charles Barry , who proposed a complex of buildings in Gothic style, incorporating the surviving medieval buildings. Barry enlarged the site by reclaiming 8 acres of land from the River Thames. He estimated a construction time of 6 years, but in the end, construction took 30 years, at a cost of over 2 million pounds.
Barry was aided in his work by Augustus Welby Pugin. It covers eight acres with an impressive m river frontage. Standing proud of the main building is the clock tower, home of the bell affectionately known as Big Ben. Sadly, neither Barry nor Pugin lived to see the New Palace finished. In fact bombs and other acts of violence have played a prominent role in Westminster's history. In , Prime Minister Spencer Percival was assassinated there. A Fenian bomb in severely damaged the Common Chamber and seriously injured three.
During the Blitz , the Palace was hit no less than 14 times. And a car bomb exploded in the car park in , killing Conservative politician Airey Neave. Tighter security since then has prevented further tragedies. But people with axes to grind still see Westminster as the perfect backdrop to their protests: from flour-bombing Tony Blair to staging rooftop sit-ins dressed as super heroes.
As the seat of governance and power, the Palace of Westminster has been making the news since the 11th century — and it doesn't show any signs of stopping.
The only Members of Parliament allowed to eat or drink in the Chamber is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who can have an alcoholic drink while delivering the budget. Houses of Parliament. Westminster Hall is a key monument of the Perpendicular style and its admirable oak roof is one of the greatest achievements of medieval construction in wood. Westminster is a place in which great historical events have taken place that shaped the English and British nations.
The church of St Margaret, a charming perpendicular style construction, continues to be the parish church of the Palace of Westminster and has been the place of worship of the Speaker and the House of Commons since and is an integral part of the complex.
Criterion i : Westminster Abbey is a unique artistic construction representing a striking sequence of the successive phases of English Gothic art. Criterion ii : Other than its influence on English architecture during the Middle Ages, the Abbey has played another leading role by influencing the work of Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin in Westminster Palace, in the "Gothic Revival" of the 19th century.
Criterion iv : The Abbey, the Palace, and St Margaret's illustrate in a concrete way the specificities of parliamentary monarchy over a period of time as long as nine centuries. Whether one looks at the royal tombs, the Chapter House, the remarkable vastness of Westminster Hall, of the House of Lords, or of the House of Commons, art is everywhere present and harmonious, making a veritable museum of the history of the United Kingdom. The property contains the key attributes necessary to convey its Outstanding Universal Value.
In a minor boundary modification was approved to join the existing component parts of the property into a single ensemble, by including the portion of the road which separated them. There are associated attributes outside the boundary, which could be considered for inclusion in the future, and this will be examined during the next Management Plan review.
Their intricate architectural form can be appreciated against the sky and make a unique contribution to the London skyline. The distinctive skyline is still prominent and recognisable despite the presence of a few tall buildings as part of the property. The most prominent of these, Milbank Tower and to some extent Centre Point - now protected in their own right - were both extant at the time of inscription. However important views of the property are vulnerable to development projects for tall buildings.
Discussions have begun and are ongoing on how to ensure that the skyline of the property and its overall prominence is sustained, and key views into, within and out of the property are conserved. The main challenge is agreeing on a mechanism to define and give protection to its wider setting. Until agreement can be reached on this, the integrity of the site is under threat.
The buildings are all in their original use and are well maintained to a high standard. There has been little change to the buildings since the time of inscription although external repairs continue and security measures have been installed at the Palace of Westminster.
The heavy volume of traffic in the roads around the property does impact adversely on its internal coherence and on its integrity as a single entity. The power and dominance of state religion, monarchy and the parliamentary system is represented tangibly by the location of the buildings in the heart of London next to the River Thames, by the size of the buildings, their intricate architectural design and embellishment and the high quality materials used.
All the buildings maintain high authenticity in their materials and substance as well as in their form and design. The property maintains its principal historic uses and functions effectively. The Gothic Westminster Abbey, a working church, continues to be used as a place of daily worship. It remains the Coronation church of the nation and there are frequent services to mark significant national events as well as royal weddings and funerals and for great national services.
Many great British writers, artists, politicians and scientists are buried or memorialised here. The individual sites within the property are protected as Listed Buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
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