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www.parliament.uk; Tube: Westminster. Clearly visible at the south end of Whitehall is one of London's best-known monuments, the Palace of Westminster, better known as the Houses of Parliament . The city's finest Victorian Gothic Revival building and symbol of a nation once confident of its place at the centre of the world, it is distinguished above all by the ornate, gilded clock tower popularly known as Big Ben , after the thirteen-ton main bell that strikes the hour (and is broadcast across the world by the BBC). The original Westminster Palace was built by Edward the Confessor in the first half of the eleventh century, so that he could watch over the building of his abbey. It then served as the seat of all the English monarchs until a fire forced Henry VIII to decamp to Whitehall. The Lords have always convened at the palace, but it was only following Henry's death that the House of Commons moved from the abbey's Chapter House into the palace's St Stephen's Chapel, thus beginning the building's associations with parliament. In 1834 the old palace burned down - virtually the only relic of the medieval palace is the bare expanse of Westminster Hall , on the north side of the complex. Built by William Rufus in 1099, it's one of the most magnificent secular medieval halls in Europe - you get a glimpse of the hall en route to the public galleries. The Jewel Tower (daily: April-Oct 10am-6pm or dusk; Nov-March 10am-4pm; GBP1.50), across the road from parliament, is another remnant of the medieval palace, now housing an excellent exhibition on the history of parliament. To watch the proceedings in either the House of Commons or the Lords, simply join the queue for the public galleries (known as Strangers' Galleries) outside St Stephen's Gate. The public are let in slowly from about 4.30pm onwards from Monday to Thursday, and from 10am on Fridays; the security checks are very tight, and the whole procedure can take an hour or more. If you want to avoid the queues, turn up an hour or more later, when the crowds have usually thinned. Recesses (holiday closures) of both Houses occur at Christmas, Easter, and August to the middle of October; phone 020/7219 4272 for more information. To see Question Time (Mon-Wed 2.30-3.30pm, Thurs 11.30am-12.30pm) you need to book a ticket several weeks in advance from your local MP (if you're a UK citizen) or your embassy in London (if you're not). To contact your MP, simply phone 020/7219 3000 and ask to be put through. It's also possible to tour the building on Monday and Thursday mornings and Friday afternoons; first off, however, you must obtain a permit from your MP and or embassy. The full price of a guided tour is GBP30, and while it used to be simple enough to join up with a group on a pre-booked guided tour , for around GBP3 per person, this has become much more difficult since security measures have been tightened up. For individuals, the only alternative is to guide yourself around the building once you've obtained your permit. Only those with a genuine specialist interest may visit Big Ben , either separately or before or after a tour; to find out more about access requirements, phone 020/7219 4862.
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