Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The elaborate neo-Gothic Palace of Westminster, gracefully located beside the River Thames, is one of London’s most iconic images. The adjoining clock tower, St Stephen’s, is often mistakenly assumed to be called Big Ben, although this is actually the name of the bell inside. Big Ben rings every hour on the hour and is shown on British television at midnight on December 31 to count in the New Year. The original Palace of Westminster, constructed in the 12th century by Edward the Confessor and enlarged by William the Conqueror, was used as a royal palace until 1512 when it was damaged by fire. It only became the seat of the British government in the mid-16th century, and was rebuilt in its current style, to designs by architect Sir Charles Barry, after it was completely ravaged by fire in 1834. There are special guided tours of the building through August to October but foreign visitors are no longer able to tour the Houses of Parliament during session.