 | London Palace of Westminster ("Houses of Parliament") Reviews | Tips 21 - 30 of 319 |  |
I only passed by this landmark of London with my tour group. It is a gorgeous building. "Big Ben" is actually the name of the enormous bell located in the clock tower. It chimes every fifteen minutes. Leave a Comment
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London Eye offers a great view of the whole city, and it gives a particularly great one of the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben. Leave a Comment Directions: Westminster tube and then a nice walk accross the Bridge...:)Website: http://www.londoneye.com/ Other Contact: http://www.parliament.uk
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One of the MOST magnifiicent buildings in London, the Palace of Westminster. Without a doubt. There is so much detail and artistry on the walls of this building - it is quite spectacular!
This gorgeous gothic masterpiece was built between 1840 and 1888 by Charles Barry.
He wanted to ensure that this building blended in with the neighbouring Westminster Abbey across the road. In this he succeeded!
This is where the British Parliament sit. It has evolved into the nation's sovereign power, while the monarchy remains sovereign in name only.
It contains the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
It is still the most spectacular piece of architecture in London I think. The high relief artwork and gargoyles and intricate lace detail is absolutely gorgeous!
Info re guided tours in the website below. Leave a Comment
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or also called the Palace of Westminster is the country's seat of gouvernment.
Westminster Hall is the only original palace (1097).
Most of the structure was rebuilt in the 19th century following a fire.
On the left is Victoria tower (102m) and on the right Big Ben (98m)
Big Ben is actually the name of the 13 tonne bell and not the entiere building. How it got this name is really incertain. It is said it could have been name after the heavyweight champion Benjamin Caunt or after the supervisor of the installation Sir Benjamin Hall. It seems we will never know. Leave a Comment
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The clock inside the 316 foot clock-tower, has been keeping accurate time to the second, since it became operational in 1859. In addition to the four large clock faces, this tower also supports five large bells which chime their tune every 15 minutes. BIG BEN is actually the 13.5 ton bell inside the clock-tower. Leave a Comment
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London's greatest icon, a real time-piece (sorry, lame, I know!). It is an impressive and beautiful building (clock tower). Try and view it from all angles; from across the other side of the Thames, right beneath it or from Parliament Sq.
One thing I didn't know about Big Ben was how beautiful its chime is, people who live and work around this area are probably used to hearing it every hour on the hour (and may think nothing of it), but it is still beautiful nonetheless. Leave a Comment
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Since 1275, this is where all England's governmental decisions are made.
The parliament is open for several weeks during the summer and autumn and is worthing a visit for its golden architecture so as the famous Big Ben. Leave a Comment
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Well ...like I said there are so many tourist there that you end up taking pictures of them taking pictures of the Big Ben ...the Parliament house is so big ...and stands out in golden yellow ..the architectecture is striking itself ...
Was there around noon ...eagerly taking a " I was here " pic of the House. Walka round the bridge and you can see London Eye , Sattchi Gallery , the Bodicea Statue and the Tide recorder and of course the westminster bridge ( which is not that fancy )
Then experienced the joy of being ripped off as tourist . I bought a mineral water of 500ml for GBP 1.20 later found out that I can get an Evian 1.5litre for the same price in small stall / mini mart in tube station . Sigh ! Plus another so called big hotdog for GBP 2.50 ..not that big actually...ahh..there goes my money . But then again there is some great bargain there too ...I got 7 postcards for 50pence . ( Westminster Abbey selling 1 postcard for 30 pence and the Potrait Gallery selling one postcard for 50 pence ) Leave a Comment
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Located here on the River Thames is the famous icon of London, the Clock Tower of Westminster Palace (most commonly known as “Big Ben”). The 96-m (316-ft) tall Gothic Revival tower was built between 1840-1860 following the 1834 fire which destroyed most of the original Westminster Palace. There are four large clock faces and five large bells which chime their tune every 15 minutes. The name Big Ben was derived from the largest of these bells, the 13 tonne Great Bell of Westminster. Leave a Comment
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As the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, Big Ben is to London being its most iconic feature. Big Ben does not refer to the whole clocktower but to it huge thirteen ton bell as designed by Edmund Beckett Denison.
Big Ben is 9 feet in diameter and 7 1/2 feet high. Big Ben was cast on 10 April 1858 with the first chime rung on 31 May 1859. It was made at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London by George Mears, the then master bellfounder and owner of the foundry. Apparently it had a net cost of ₤572 (full cost of ₤2401 less ₤1829 for the metal reclaimed from the previous bell).
In September 1859, a mere two months after it officially went into service, Big Ben cracked. This led to Big Ben being out of commission for approx three years. The reason was found to be that a hammer, more than twice the maximum weight specified by George Mears, had been installed by Dension. I understand that this led to two court trials including a libel case. Denison lost both cases.
A new hammer was created and the bell turned one eigth of a turn (so the cracked bit wouldn't be hit). This is the mechanism that is still heard today. Leave a Comment
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