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Also known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace of Westminster is one of London’s most iconic architectural landmarks and tourist attraction. It serves as the meeting place of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and lies on the northern bank of the River Thames, with three towers rising above.
It was in the 11th century that the first royal palace was built on the site but this was destroyed in 1512 and again in 1834, with Westminster Hall, the Cloisters of St Stephen's, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft and the Jewel Tower the only medieval structures to have survived. It was Charles Barry who was tasked with reconstructing the palace in the Gothic Revival style seen today, while the interiors are largely attributed to Augustus Pugin.
The tallest tower atop the Palace of Westminster is the 98-meter-high Victoria Tower, which features the Sovereign’s Entrance at its base. This is where the monarch arrives when entering the palace and it is richly decorated with sculptures of saints and Queen Victoria. Also of note is the octagonal Central Tower, which is the shortest of the three main towers and is used to ventilate the palace.