Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster

In front of you is the Palace of Westminster, home of the British Parliament. It was a royal residence from the 11th century and still keeps one piece from that era: Westminster Hall, built in 1097 under William II, where Guy Fawkes was tried after the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

1A palace born of fire

Almost everything else is 19th-century. On 16 October 1834, workmen were burning old wooden tally sticks in a stove in the basement, and the fire spread through the whole palace. The painter Turner watched it burn and painted it. A competition was held for the rebuilding, won by Charles Barry, helped by Augustus Pugin, who was responsible for almost all the Gothic decoration, down to the inkstands.

2Tower, clock and bell

We call the tower Big Ben, but strictly speaking that is the name of the great bell, which weighs about 13.7 tonnes. It first rang in 1859 and cracked that same year. Since then it has been turned slightly and struck with a lighter hammer, which explains its distinctive tone. The tower, about 96 metres tall, was called the Clock Tower until 2012, when it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower for Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Between 2017 and 2022 it was wrapped in scaffolding for restoration.

The origin of the nickname is unclear: some credit Benjamin Hall, who was in charge of the works; others the boxer Ben Caunt.

3What to look for

• The clock faces, about 7 metres across.
• Westminster Hall, the high-roofed building beside the tower.
• The statue of Churchill, facing Parliament.