London,
Thursday 16 May 2013 -
18:13
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Westminster Palace - English Parliament
Lords and Commons under the same roof.
Westminster Palace is home to the two Houses that make up the British parliament: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It was the official royal residence until a tragic fire convinced Henry VIII to move the royal family to another location. Westminster Hall is the oldest part of the Palace, dating back to 1097.
Another fire, this time in 1834, almost entirely destroyed the Palace - the only areas untouched were Westminster Hall, the St Stephen Chapel, and the Jewel Tower. Architects Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin were hired to rebuild the edifice. In 1940, the House of Commons was also rebuilt after the devastating bombings of the Second World War.
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