Henry Yevele ( c . 1320 – 1400) was the king of England's master mason from 1360 until his death in 1400.
127-510: The Jewel Tower is a 14th-century surviving element of the Palace of Westminster , in London, England. It was built between 1365 and 1366, under the direction of William of Sleaford and Henry de Yevele , to house the personal treasure of King Edward III . The original tower was a three-storey, crenellated stone building which occupied a secluded part of the palace and was protected by a moat linked to
254-468: A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The building was originally constructed in the eleventh century as a royal palace and was the primary residence of the kings of England until 1512, when a fire destroyed the royal apartments. The monarch moved to the adjacent Palace of Whitehall , but the remainder of the palace continued to serve as the home of the Parliament of England , which had met there since
381-503: A World Heritage Site in 1987. The fabric of the building is in urgent need of restoration. In January 2018, the House of Commons voted for both houses to vacate the palace to allow for a complete refurbishment of the building, which will take at least six years and start no sooner than 2025. In September 2022, the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, a joint committee of the House of Lords and
508-440: A spire in order to balance the effect of the more massive lateral towers. The Central Tower completely failed to fulfill its stated purpose, but it remains notable as "the first occasion when mechanical services had a real influence on architectural design," withstanding certain climate-specific architectural elements such as windcatchers . Some other features of the palace of Westminster are known as towers. St Stephen's Tower
635-413: A brick parapet, structurally largely unchanged since the 14th century. The walls that once faced away from the palace are finely coursed, but the interior two walls are more crudely finished. The external windows are almost all 18th-century in origin and made from Portland limestone. The jagged remnants of the former palace walls jut out from the sides of the tower. The moat, now dry, stretches away east from
762-478: A central chimney through which what he called "vitiated air" would be drawn out of the building with the heat and smoke of about four hundred fires around the palace. To accommodate the tower Barry was forced to lower the high ceiling he had planned for the Central Lobby and reduce the height of its windows; however, the tower proved to be an opportunity to improve the palace's exterior design, and Barry to make it
889-577: A cost of £166, and the complex began to be termed the Parliament Office rather than the Jewel Tower. The ground floor of the tower may have begun to be used as a kitchen and scullery for the new house at around this time. In 1621, a subcommittee of the House of Lords concluded that the Lords' record keeping should be improved, and the tower was renovated to improve its storage facilities. The first floor of
1016-489: A cost of £350. An investigation by the Board of Works in 1751 concluded that the parliamentary clerk's house was in a poor condition and unsuitable for habitation. In particular, it lacked a kitchen and scullery, and the cooking was still being carried out in the ground floor rooms of the Jewel Tower. Two three-storey brick houses – later titled 6–7 Old Palace Yard – were built in its place between 1754 and 1755, possibly by
1143-576: A cost of £870. The work commenced under Nicholas Hawksmoor , the Surveyor General, but staff turnover in the Office of Works and accusations of corruption slowed the work. Cut-backs were made, in particular to the plans to strengthen the roof of the tower with fire-resilient brick vaults; despite this, the costs totalled £1,118 by the end of the project in 1719. The outside of the tower was reworked to form its modern appearance, with plainer, larger windows and
1270-544: A crack of its own, which gives it a distinctive sound. It is the third-heaviest bell in Britain, weighing 13.8 tonnes. In the lantern at the top of Elizabeth Tower is the Ayrton Light, which is lit when either House of Parliament is sitting after dark. It was installed in 1885 at the request of Queen Victoria, so that she could see from Buckingham Palace whether the members were "at work", and named after Acton Smee Ayrton , who
1397-609: A display on the history of the tower, and some of the original wooden foundations of the building. Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London , England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords , the two legislative chambers which occupy
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#17328443835331524-516: A new official residence for the Speaker of the House of Commons , completed in 1795; and significant alterations and a new building by James Wyatt , completed in 1801. The last alterations were undertaken by Sir John Soane between 1824 and 1827, and included new library facilities for both Houses of Parliament and new law courts for the Chancery and King's Bench . On 16 October 1834, a fire broke out in
1651-573: A new tower in Westminster to host a separate branch of the Privy Wardrobe specifically to manage his personal jewels and plate. In practice, this branch also managed the clothes, vestments and similar goods belonging to the royal household – effectively, the non-military parts of the King's property. William of Sleaford was put in charge of the tower project as a whole; he was the clerk and surveyor of
1778-473: A pedestal) and holding a sceptre and a laurel crown, which show that she both governs and rules. This figure is flanked by allegorical statues of Justice and Clemency, the former with a bare sword and an inflexible expression and the latter showing sympathy and offering an olive branch. The sculptural ensemble, made of white marble and carved by John Gibson in 1855, reaches 2.44 metres (8 ft) in height; its size has long been considered out of proportion with
1905-400: A replacement roof in 1949, removing the first floor entrance and reinstalling the spiral staircase from the ground floor in 1953. The inside of the tower was rendered to hide the traces of the various work. The Jewel Tower was opened for tourists in 1956, and drew between 500 and 800 visitors each week. Between 1954 and 1962, most of the buildings that had been constructed around the tower over
2032-412: A simpler parapet, and a new chimney to keep members of the House of Lords warm while they were reading the records. Specialised wooden cupboards and shelves were installed on the first floor to hold the documents. Further work was carried out in 1726 to improve the security and safety of the tower, particularly from the threat of fire, at a cost of £508. At some point in the 18th century, possibly in 1753,
2159-523: A smaller turret room in the south-east corner, 4 by 3 metres (13.1 by 9.8 ft). The windows in the main room are a mixture of early 18th-century designs, combined with a surviving large medieval window embrasure on the eastern side. The main chamber has elaborate stone vaulting, considered by historian Jeremy Ashbee to be "one of the most impressive medieval interiors in London... an architectural masterpiece". The vaulting features 16 carved Reigate Stone bosses , including grotesque heads, birds, flowers and
2286-551: A stonecarver. They selected Anston, a sand-coloured magnesian limestone quarried in the villages of Anston , South Yorkshire , and Mansfield Woodhouse , Nottinghamshire . Two quarries were chosen from a list of 102, with the majority of the stone coming from the former. A crucial consideration was transport, achieved on water via the Chesterfield Canal , the North Sea and the rivers Trent and Thames. Furthermore, Anston
2413-482: A substitute for cash, drawing on them to fund their military campaigns, or giving them as symbolic political gifts. Edward accumulated what historian Jenny Stratford has described as a "vast store of jewels and plate", and his collection of personal treasure was at its greatest during the 1360s. Edward had managed this last category of personal treasure through an organisation called the Privy Wardrobe . The Keeper of
2540-609: A uniform height for the depicted characters. One of the scenes is probably not historical: Plucking the Red and White Roses in the Old Temple Gardens , depicting the origin of these flowers as emblems of the Houses of Lancaster and York respectively, was taken from Shakespeare's play Henry VI, Part 1 . Henry de Yevele Henry is believed to have been born around 1320 in Derbyshire to Roger and Marion Yevele. His father Roger
2667-527: Is beneath the Victoria Tower. It was designed for the use of the monarch, and is used by them during the State Opening of Parliament . The Sovereign's Entrance is also the formal entrance used by visiting dignitaries, as well as the starting point of public tours of the palace. From the entrance, a staircase leads up to the principal floor in a broad, unbroken flight of 26 steps made of grey granite. At
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#17328443835332794-463: Is but lost that build it". The East Corridor leads from the Central Lobby to the Lower Waiting Hall, and its six panels remained blank until 1910, when they were filled with scenes from Tudor history. They were all paid for by Liberal peers and each was the work of a different artist, but uniformity was achieved between the frescoes thanks to a common colour palette of red, black and gold and
2921-415: Is highly accurate by nineteenth-century standards, striking the hour to within a second of the time, and remaining reliable since it entered service in 1859. The time is shown on four dials 7 metres (23 ft) in diameter, which are made of milk glass and are lit from behind at night; the hour hand is 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) long and the minute hand 4.3 metres (14 ft). Five bells hang in
3048-452: Is in urgent need of major repairs. The site of the current palace may have been used by Cnut during his reign from 1016 to 1035, and from c. 1045 – c. 1050 Edward the Confessor built a palace and the first Westminster Abbey . The oldest surviving part of the palace is Westminster Hall, which dates from the reign of William II ( r. 1087–1100 ). The palace
3175-409: Is occupied by offices, dining rooms and bars; the first, or principal, floor houses the main rooms of the palace, including the debating chambers, the lobbies and the libraries. The top two floors are used as committee rooms and offices. Some of the interiors were designed and painted by J. G. Crace , working in collaboration with Pugin and others. For example, Crace decorated and gilded the ceiling of
3302-404: Is original. The floor continues the two-room design, and the roof, largely a post-war replacement with only a few surviving medieval timbers, is intended to resemble the original medieval design. The fireplace and windows are original, as probably is the 14th-century wooden door to the floor. Both the wall between the two rooms, and its stone doorway, were built in the 18th century. The room contains
3429-417: Is positioned in the middle of the west front of the palace, between Westminster Hall and Old Palace Yard, and houses the public entrance to the palace. The pavilions at the northern and southern ends of the river front are called Speaker's Tower and Chancellor's Tower respectively, after the presiding officers of the two Houses at the time of the palace's reconstruction—the Speaker of the House of Commons and
3556-711: Is the Woolsack , an armless red cushion stuffed with wool , representing the historical importance of the wool trade, and used by the officer presiding over the House (the Lord Speaker since 2006, but historically the Lord Chancellor or a deputy). The House's mace , which represents royal authority, is placed on the back of the Woolsack. In front of the Woolsack is the Judges' Woolsack, a larger red cushion that used to be occupied during
3683-537: Is the floor centrepiece, a radiant Tudor rose made of Derbyshire marbles and set within an octagon of engraved brass plates. The rest of the floor is paved with encaustic tiles featuring heraldic designs and Latin mottoes. The walls are faced with white stone and each is pierced by a doorway; above the arches are displayed arms representing the six royal dynasties which ruled England until Queen Victoria's reign ( Saxon , Norman , Plantagenet , Tudor , Stuart and Hanoverian ), and between them there are windows stained with
3810-618: The Battle of Waterloo in 1815). The murals deteriorated rapidly after their completion due to a range of factors, most importantly atmospheric pollution, and today they are almost monochrome, although a finished study of The Death of Nelson in better condition hangs in the Walker Art Gallery , Liverpool . The rest of the planned frescos were cancelled, and the walls are filled with portraits of kings and queens from George I onwards. Another decorative element with military undertones are
3937-581: The Knights of the Round Table . The ceiling itself is decorated with heraldic badges, as is the border of the wooden floor —which, as can be seen in the adjacent image, is left exposed by the carpeting. The Robing Room was briefly used as the House of Lords' meeting chamber while the House of Lords Chamber was occupied by the House of Commons, whose chamber had been destroyed by the Blitz in 1941. Immediately north of
Jewel Tower - Misplaced Pages Continue
4064-574: The Lord Chancellor . Speaker's Tower contains Speaker's House , the official residence of the Speaker of the Commons. As well as the pinnacles which rise from between the window bays along the fronts of the palace, numerous turrets enliven the building's skyline. Like the Central Tower these were built for practical reasons, as they mask ventilation shafts. There are a number of small gardens surrounding
4191-482: The River Thames . The ground floor featured elaborate sculpted vaulting , described by historian Jeremy Ashbee as "an architectural masterpiece". The tower continued to be used for storing the monarch's treasure and personal possessions until 1512, when a fire in the palace caused King Henry VIII to relocate his court to the nearby Palace of Whitehall . At the end of the 16th century the House of Lords began to use
4318-672: The Royal Standard (the monarch's personal flag) when the Sovereign is present in the palace. On all other days the Union Flag flies from the mast. At the north end of the palace is the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known by the nickname "Big Ben". At 96 metres (315 ft) it is only slightly shorter than the Victoria Tower, but much slimmer. It was called the Clock Tower until 2012, when it
4445-460: The belfry above the clock. The four quarter bells strike the Westminster Chimes every quarter-hour. The largest bell strikes the hours; officially called the "Great Bell", it is generally referred to as Big Ben, a nickname of uncertain origins which, over time, has been applied to the whole tower. The original hour bell cracked during testing and was recast; the present bell later developed
4572-529: The burning of Parliament in 1834, after which the records were moved to the Victoria Tower , built for the purpose of storing archives, and part of the new neo-Gothic Palace of Westminster. In 1869 the Jewel Tower was taken over by the newly formed Standard Weights and Measures Department , which used it for storing and testing official weights and measures. The tower became less and less suitable for this work as passing vehicular traffic increased, and by 1938
4699-543: The "precious vestiges of medieval times" in the area. Between 2007 and 2012 an average of 30,000 visitors came to the tower each year, with non-English speaking visitors making up a high proportion. The architecture of the tower has made it a challenging site to operate as a tourist attraction; the fluctuating heat and humidity, and capacity constraints, have prevented it being adapted to house more delicate historical artefacts or accommodate additional visitor numbers. Archaeologists have recovered over 400 objects associated with
4826-449: The 11th century and survived the fire of 1834, was incorporated in Barry's design. Pugin was displeased with the result of the work, especially with the symmetrical layout designed by Barry; he famously remarked, "All Grecian, sir; Tudor details on a classic body". In 1839 Charles Barry toured Britain, looking at quarries and buildings, with a committee which included two leading geologists and
4953-402: The 13th century. In 1834 a second, larger fire destroyed the majority of the palace, but Westminster Hall was saved and incorporated into the replacement building. The competition to design the new palace was won by the architect Charles Barry , who chose a Gothic Revival style for the building. Construction started in 1840 and lasted for 30 years, suffering delays, cost overruns, and
5080-405: The 16th century, the palace walls on either side of the building were demolished, and part of the moat was filled in during 1551. By the 1590s, the tower had begun to be used both for the storage of the Lords' records and as a house for the parliamentary clerk. In 1600, a three-storey timber extension was built on the side of the tower for the clerk's use, as part of a wider renovation of the tower at
5207-502: The 1910s, however, it became clear that some of the stonework had to be replaced. In 1928 it was deemed necessary to use Clipsham stone , a honey-coloured limestone from Rutland , to replace the decayed Anston. The project began in the 1930s but was halted by the outbreak of the Second World War and completed only during the 1950s. By the 1960s pollution had again begun to take its toll. A stone conservation and restoration programme to
Jewel Tower - Misplaced Pages Continue
5334-480: The Central Lobby is the heart of the Palace of Westminster. It lies directly below the Central Tower and forms a busy crossroads between the House of Lords to the south, the House of Commons to the north, St Stephen's Hall and the public entrance to the west, and the Lower Waiting Hall and the libraries to the east. Its location halfway between the two debating chambers has led constitutional theorist Erskine May to describe
5461-674: The Chamber. The Sovereign, seated on the Throne, delivers the Speech from the Throne , outlining the Government's programme for the year and legislative agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary session. The Commons may not enter the Lords' debating floor; instead, they watch the proceedings from beyond the Bar of the House, just inside the door. A small purely formal ceremony is held to end each parliamentary session, when
5588-623: The Chapel of St. Mary Undercroft. The palace is a roughly rectangular building with its long axis parallel to the River Thames. The building is planned around the Central Lobby, a large hall from which corridors lead north to the Commons Chamber, south to the Lords Chamber, and west to the public entrance and Westminster Hall; to the east are committee rooms and libraries. A suite of rooms known as
5715-507: The Cloisters and eventually reaches the Members' Lobby directly south of the Commons Chamber. St Stephen's Entrance, in the approximate centre of the building's western front, is the public entrance. From it visitors walk through a flight of stairs to St Stephen's Hall, which houses a collection of marble statues of prominent parliamentarians, and then to the Central Lobby. The Sovereign's Entrance
5842-419: The Commons Chamber before every sitting of the House. The Central Lobby measures 18 metres (59 ft) across and 23 metres (75 ft) from the floor to the centre of the vaulted ceiling. The panels between the vault's ribs are covered with Venetian glass mosaic displaying floral emblems and heraldic badges, and the bosses in the intersections of the ribs are also carved into heraldic symbols. Each wall of
5969-537: The Confessor and a young Queen Victoria, a copy of a 1900 painting of Victoria by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant , and busts of prime ministers who have sat in the House of Lords on the plinths intended for the statues. A double door opposite the stairs leads to the Royal Gallery, and another to the right opens to the Robing Room. The Robing Room lies at the southern end of the palace's north-south axis, and occupies
6096-560: The House of Commons or the House of Lords; the Commons adapted St Stephen's Chapel for its use in the sixteenth century, and the Lords used the Painted Chamber and, from 1801, the White Chamber . The palace underwent significant alterations from the 18th century onwards, as Parliament struggled to carry out its business in the limited available space. These included a new storage and committee rooms by John Vardy , completed in 1770;
6223-569: The House of Commons, was formed to oversee the necessary works. Charles Barry 's collaborative design for the Palace of Westminster uses the Perpendicular Gothic style, which was popular during the 15th century and returned during the Gothic revival of the 19th century. Barry was a classical architect , but he was aided by the Gothic architect Augustus Pugin . Westminster Hall, which was built in
6350-554: The House of Lords use the Peers' Entrance in the middle of the Old Palace Yard façade, which opens to an entrance hall. A staircase from there leads, through a corridor and the Prince's Chamber, to the Lords Chamber. Members of Parliament enter their part of the building from the Members' Entrance in the south side of New Palace Yard. Their route passes through a cloakroom in the lower level of
6477-453: The House. Several doors lead out of the room, to the division lobbies of the House of Lords and to a number of important offices. The theme of the Prince's Chamber is Tudor history, and 28 oil portraits painted on panels around the room depict members of the Tudor dynasty . They are the work of Richard Burchett and his pupils, and their creation entailed extensive research, which contributed to
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#17328443835336604-453: The Jewel Tower alone. A contractor was employed to fix iron grilles to the windows, and 18 locks were purchased to secure the various doors. A main workforce of 19 stonemasons, up to 10 carpenters and other specialised tradesmen worked on the site, and in July 1366, a team of 23 labourers dug out the new moat over the course of a month. The tower was constructed in the secluded south-west corner of
6731-439: The King permitted Parliament to make "plans for [its] permanent accommodation". Each house created a committee and a Perpendicular Gothic Revival design by the architect Charles Barry was chosen. Barry was inexperienced with Gothic, and relied heavily on Augustus Pugin to design details. The Lords Chamber was completed in 1847, and the Commons Chamber in 1852. Although most of the work had been carried out by 1860, construction
6858-619: The Lobby as "the political centre of the British Empire", and allows a person standing under the great chandelier to see both the Royal Throne and the Speaker's Chair, provided that all the intervening doors are open. Constituents may meet their Members of Parliament here, even without an appointment, and this practice is the origin of the term lobbying . The hall is also the theatre of the Speaker's Procession, which passes from here on its way to
6985-496: The Lobby is contained in an arch ornamented with statues of English and Scottish monarchs; on four sides there are doorways, and the tympana above them are adorned with mosaics representing the patron saints of the United Kingdom's constituent nations: Saint George for England, Saint Andrew for Scotland, Saint David for Wales and Saint Patrick for Ireland. The other four arches are occupied by high windows, under which there are stone screens—the hall's post office, one of two in
7112-530: The Lord Chancellor's Breakfast; in the past it was the theatre of several trials of peers by the House of Lords. Documents from the Parliamentary Archives are on display in the Royal Gallery (including a facsimile of Charles I 's death warrant), and the tables and seating offer a workspace for members of the Lords that is conveniently close to their debating chamber. The decorative scheme of
7239-481: The Palace of Westminster, overlooking the king's garden in the Privy Palace, the most private part of Westminster. The tower was positioned so as not to encroach on the existing palace, but this meant it was built on top of land owned by the neighbouring Westminster Abbey. It took six years for the abbey to convince the king to agree to compensate for them for this annexation. William Usshborne, one of Edward's officials,
7366-465: The Palace of Westminster. Victoria Tower Gardens is open as a public park along the side of the river south of the palace. Black Rod's Garden (named after the office of Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod ) is closed to the public and is used as a private entrance. Old Palace Yard , in front of the palace, is paved over and covered in concrete security blocks ( see security below ). Cromwell Green (also on
7493-560: The Privy Wardrobe was responsible for guarding and recording the king's belongings, and dispatching particular items around the kingdom, potentially giving them as gifts to the monarch's family and friends. The Privy Wardrobe was initially based in the Tower of London in Edward's reign and became focused on handling the supplies for his campaigns in France. This probably encouraged the King to decide to build
7620-510: The Robing Room is the Royal Gallery. At 33.5 by 13.7 metres (110 by 45 ft), it is one of the largest rooms in the palace. Its main purpose is to serve as the stage of the royal procession at State Openings of Parliament, which the audience watch from temporary tiered seating on both sides of the route. It has also been used on occasion by visiting statesmen from abroad when addressing both Houses of Parliament , as well as for receptions in honour of foreign dignitaries, and more regularly for
7747-490: The Royal Apartments are at the disposal of the reigning monarch; they lie beyond the Lords Chamber at the far south of the palace. The palace has separate entrances for its different users: the monarch, members of the House of Lords, members of Parliament and the public. The Sovereign's Entrance is at the base of the Victoria Tower in the south-west corner of the palace, and leads directly to the Royal Apartments. Members of
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#17328443835337874-490: The Royal Gallery on their way to deliver their speech. The Chamber of the House of Lords is located in the southern part of the Palace of Westminster. The lavishly decorated room measures 13.7 by 24.4 metres (45 by 80 ft). The benches in the Chamber, as well as other furnishings in the Lords' side of the palace, are coloured red. The upper part of the Chamber is decorated by stained glass windows and by six allegorical frescoes representing religion, chivalry and law. At
8001-604: The Royal Gallery was meant to display important moments in British military history, and the walls are decorated by two large paintings by Daniel Maclise , each measuring 13.7 by 3.7 metres (45 by 12 ft): The Death of Nelson (depicting Lord Nelson 's demise at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805) and The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo (showing the Duke of Wellington meeting Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher at
8128-436: The Sovereign is merely represented by a group of Lords Commissioners . Following the Blitz, which destroyed the chamber of the House of Commons, the Lords' chamber was occupied by the Commons. The Lords temporarily used the Robing Room during the reconstruction. The State Opening Of Parliament was carried out as normal, with the new rooms being used. Evidence can still be seen of this today, with damage clearly visible on one of
8255-785: The State Opening by the Law Lords (who were members of the House of Lords), and prospectively by the Supreme Court Justices and other Judges (whether or not members), to represent the Judicial Branch of Government. The Table of the House, at which the clerks sit, is in front. Members of the House occupy red benches on three sides of the Chamber. The benches on the Lord Speaker's right form the Spiritual Side and those to his left form
8382-417: The Temporal Side. The Lords Spiritual (archbishops and bishops of the established Church of England ) all occupy the Spiritual Side. The Lords Temporal ( nobles ) sit according to party affiliation: members of the Government party sit on the Spiritual Side, while those of the Opposition sit on the Temporal Side. Some peers, who have no party affiliation, sit on the benches in the middle of the House opposite
8509-437: The Woolsack; they are accordingly known as crossbenchers . The Lords Chamber is the site of nationally televised ceremonies, the most important of which is the State Opening of Parliament , which is held formally to open each annual parliamentary session, either after a General Election or in the autumn. At this occasion every constitutional element of the government is represented: the Crown (both literally, and figuratively in
8636-416: The architect Kenton Couse , at a cost of £2,432. The Jewel Tower was accessed from the Old Palace Yard through a central passageway that ran between the houses, and a range of subsidiary buildings were built behind the houses, joining them and the tower, while the tower continued to be used for preparing food. By the 19th century, the tower was obscured by the surrounding buildings, and was accessed through
8763-403: The arms of the early aristocratic families of England. Of the doorways, the one to the south—which leads into the Lords Chamber—is the most magnificent, and sports much gilding and decoration, including the full royal arms. It is enclosed by the Brass Gates, a pair of elaborately pierced and studded doors together weighing 1.5 tonnes. The side doors, which feature clocks, open into corridors: to
8890-425: The artist's death, and on the wallpapered panels flanking the Chair of State hang oil portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by Franz Xaver Winterhalter . Other decorations in the room are also inspired by the Arthurian legend, namely a series of 18 bas-reliefs beneath the paintings, carved in oak by Henry Hugh Armstead , and the frieze running below the ceiling, which displays the attributed coats of arms of
9017-443: The backdrop to the chair, embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework with the royal arms, surrounded by stars and VR monograms. Edward Barry designed both the chair—the cushion and back of which are also embroidered—and the ornate marble fireplace across the room, which features gilded statuettes of Saint George and Saint Michael . The decorative theme of the room is the legend of King Arthur , considered by many Victorians
9144-407: The brick-built office in front of it, according to the antiquarian and engraver John Smith . The tower began to become too small for storing all the House of Lords' records, and from 1827 onwards only the acts, journals and minute-books were kept in the tower. A fire swept through Westminster in 1834, destroying most of the old palace, but the Jewel Tower, which was separated from the main fire and
9271-613: The building. The palace is one of the centres of political life in the United Kingdom ; "Westminster" has become a metonym for the UK Parliament and the British Government , and the Westminster system of government commemorates the name of the palace. The Elizabeth Tower of the palace, nicknamed Big Ben , is a landmark of London and the United Kingdom in general. The palace has been a Grade I listed building since 1970 and part of
9398-486: The centre of the south front, overlooking Victoria Tower Gardens . It is where the Sovereign prepares for the State Opening of Parliament by changing into their official robes and putting on the Imperial State Crown . The focus of the room is the chair of state, which sits on a dais of three steps under a canopy adorned with the arms and floral emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland. A panel of purple velvet forms
9525-476: The chamber of the House of Lords until their destruction in the 1834 fire and depicted the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The project was put on hold in 1861 (by which time only one painting had been completed), and was not revived until 2007; as of August 2010 , all six paintings are now in their intended places. The room also contains a statue of Queen Victoria, seated on a throne (itself placed on
9652-465: The deaths of Barry and his assistant, Augustus Pugin . The palace contains chambers for the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the monarch , and has a floor area of 112,476 m (1,210,680 sq ft). Extensive repairs had to be made after the Second World War , including rebuilding the destroyed Commons chamber. Despite further conservation work having been carried out since, the palace
9779-488: The department had given up on it in favor of other facilities. In 1948 the building was placed into the care of the Ministry of Works , which repaired the damage inflicted to the tower during the Second World War and restored the building extensively, clearing the surrounding area and opening the tower to tourists. Today the Jewel Tower is managed by English Heritage and receives about 30,000 visitors annually. The Jewel Tower
9906-435: The devil, some designed to form amusing visual illusions. The ground floor is used by English Heritage as a gift shop and cafe. The first floor is reached by a 20th-century spiral staircase, and follows the same two-room design as the first floor. It has a roof of groin-vaulted Portland stone, probably from the 18th century, and the windows are mostly 18th century in origin, with one 20th century reconstruction. The iron door to
10033-438: The doors where they were struck by Black Rod. Directly north of the Lords Chamber lies the Peers' Lobby, an antechamber where Lords can informally discuss or negotiate matters during sittings of the House, as well as collect messages from the doorkeepers , who control access to the Chamber. The Lobby is a square room measuring 12 metres (39 ft) on each side and 10 metres (33 ft) in height, and one of its main features
10160-600: The east extends the Law Lords Corridor, which leads to the libraries, and nearby to the west lies the Moses Room, used for Grand Committees. To the north is the vaulted Peers' Corridor, which is decorated with eight murals by Charles West Cope depicting historical scenes from the period around the English Civil War . The frescoes were executed between 1856 and 1866, and each scene was "specifically chosen to depict
10287-560: The eight statues of gilded Caen stone that flank the three doorways and the bay window of the Gallery, sculpted by John Birnie Philip . Each depicts a monarch during whose reign a key battle or war took place. They are: Alfred the Great and William the Conqueror ; Richard I and Edward III ; Henry V and Elizabeth I ; William III and Anne . The panelled ceiling, 13.7 metres (45 ft) above
10414-424: The external elevations and towers began in 1981 and ended in 1994. The Palace of Westminster has three main towers. The largest and tallest is the 98.5-metre (323 ft) Victoria Tower, which occupies the south-western corner of the palace. The tower was an integral part of Barry's original design, and he intended it to be the most memorable element, conceiving it as the keep of a legislative "castle". The tower
10541-437: The fittings of the Prince's Chamber, and the flanking statues ended up in storage between 1955 and 1976. However, the size and location of the group, in the archway opposite the doors to the Royal Gallery (which are removed before State Openings of Parliament to facilitate the royal procession), indicate that it was meant to be seen from a distance, and to symbolically remind the monarch of their royal duties as they would walk down
10668-574: The floor, features Tudor roses and lions, and the stained-glass windows show the coats of arms of the Kings of England and Scotland. The Prince's Chamber is a small anteroom between the Royal Gallery and the Lords Chamber, named after the room adjoining the Parliament Chamber in the Old Palace of Westminster. Thanks to its location, it is a place where members of the Lords meet to discuss business of
10795-588: The founding of the National Portrait Gallery in 1856. 12 bronze bas-reliefs are set into the wall below the portraits, executed by William Theed in 1855–1857. Scenes included are The Field of the Cloth of Gold , The Escape of Mary, Queen of Scots and Raleigh Spreading His Cloak As a Carpet for the Queen . Above the portraits, at window level, are copies of six of the ten Armada tapestries , which hung in
10922-527: The frontage, and in 2006 enclosed by hoardings for the construction of a new visitor centre), New Palace Yard (on the north side) and Speaker's Green (directly north of the palace) are all private and closed to the public. College Green , opposite the House of Lords, is a small triangular green commonly used for television interviews with politicians. The Palace of Westminster contains over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 4.8 kilometres (3 mi) of passageways, which are spread over four floors. The ground floor
11049-562: The king's works within the Palace of Westminster and the Tower of London, and became the Keeper of the Westminster Privy Wardrobe. The Jewel Tower was designed and built by Henry de Yevele , a prominent royal architect, supported by a team of masons he commissioned for both this project and a neighbouring piece of work to build a new clock tower nearby. Hugh Herland was taken on as the chief carpenter for both projects. The payments for
11176-408: The larger chamber carries the date of its installation, 1621, and its lock carries the letters "IR", standing for King James I. The neighbouring room is barrel-vaulted in brick, with a recess in the wall that was originally a latrine, and the original 1719 iron-shutters on its north window. The first floor contains an exhibit on the history of the UK Parliament. The spiral staircase to the second floor
11303-472: The main timbers. Increasing traffic levels around the tower led to subsidence and high levels of vibration, effecting the operation of the delicate instruments, and worsened after the opening of Lambeth Bridge in 1932. Some of the department's work was transferred to their Bushy House facility in Teddington in the 1920s, and in 1938 the department relinquished the tower altogether. In the Second World War ,
11430-431: The moat was blocked up around the middle of the century, and the moat, which previously seems to have been kept clean, was allowed to gradually fill up with debris, despite complaints from the House of Lords that this put the Jewel Tower at greater risk of fire and thieves. By 1716, the tower was reported to Parliament as being in a "ruinous condition", and an enquiry concluded that repairs and restoration should go ahead at
11557-403: The only other parts of the palace to survive. William IV offered the almost-completed Buckingham Palace to Parliament, hoping to dispose of a residence he disliked; however, the building was considered unsuitable for parliamentary use and the gift was rejected. The Painted Chamber and White Chamber were hastily repaired for temporary use, and in 1835, following that year's General Election,
11684-483: The outside of the tower at the ground floor level. The keeper would have worked from the first floor, and Edward's treasure itself was kept on the second floor, in locked chests. The Jewel Tower continued to be used by Edward's successors for storing treasure and personal possessions, until 1512, when a fire in Westminster Palace forced the royal court to relocate to Whitehall , along with the jewels and plate from
11811-495: The palace after an overheated stove used to destroy the Exchequer 's stockpile of tally sticks set fire to the House of Lords Chamber. Both Houses of Parliament were destroyed, along with most of the other buildings in the palace complex. Westminster Hall was saved thanks to fire-fighting efforts and a change in the direction of the wind. The Jewel Tower and the undercroft , cloisters , and chapter house of St Stephen's Chapel were
11938-423: The palace took at least twelve hits and three people (two policemen and Resident Superintendent of the House of Lords, Edward Elliott ) were killed. The Commons Chamber and the roof of Westminster Hall were both set alight; as the firefighters could not save both, the hall was prioritised and saved, while the chamber was destroyed. The Lords Chamber and Clock Tower were damaged in the same raid. The Commons Chamber
12065-512: The palace, is located behind one of these screens. In front of them stand four bigger-than-life statues of 19th-century statesmen, including one of four-time prime minister William Gladstone . The floor on which they stand is tiled with Minton encaustic tiles in intricate patterns and includes a passage from Psalm 127 written in Latin, which translates as follows: "Except the Lord build the House their labour
12192-614: The person of the Sovereign), The Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and The Commons, (who together form the Legislature), the Judiciary (although no judges are members of either House of Parliament), and the Executive (both Government Ministers , and ceremonial military units in attendance on the Sovereign); and a large number of guests are invited to attend in the large Royal Gallery immediately outside
12319-567: The project were recorded on an 8-foot-6-inch (2.59 m) long parchment roll, which is now held in the Public Record Office . Stone was brought in for the two towers: 98 boat-loads of rough stone and 13,782 feet (4,201 m) of dressed stone from Maidstone ; 469 cart-loads from Reigate ; 26 long tons (26 t) from Devon and 16 long tons (16 t) from Normandy . Timber was brought from Surrey , red floor tiles from Flanders and 97 square feet (9.0 m) of glass purchased for
12446-431: The source of their nationhood. Five frescoes painted by William Dyce between 1848 and 1864 cover the walls, depicting allegorical scenes from the legend. Each scene represents a chivalric virtue; the largest, between the two doors, is titled Admission of Sir Tristram to the Round Table and illustrates the virtue of Hospitality. Seven were originally commissioned but the remaining two paintings were not carried out due to
12573-454: The south end of the Chamber are the ornate gold Canopy and Throne; although the Sovereign may theoretically occupy the Throne during any sitting, he or she attends only the State Opening of Parliament. Other members of the Royal Family who attend the State Opening use Chairs of State next to the Throne, and peers' sons are always entitled to sit on the steps of the Throne. In front of the Throne
12700-719: The struggles through which national liberties were won". Examples include Speaker Lenthall Asserting the Privileges of the Commons Against Charles ;I when the Attempt was Made to Seize the Five Members , representing resistance against absolute rule, and The Embarkation of the Pilgrim Fathers for New England , which illustrates the principle of freedom of worship. Originally named "Octagon Hall" because of its shape,
12827-513: The top is the Norman Porch, a square landing with a central clustered column and a ceiling of four groin vaults with lierne ribs and carved bosses . The porch was named for its proposed decorative scheme, which was never completed but would have consisted of statues of the Norman kings and frescoes depicting Norman history . As completed, the porch contains stained glass windows depicting Edward
12954-472: The tower houses the Parliamentary Archives in 8.8 kilometres (5.5 mi) of steel shelves spread over 12 floors. The archives include the master copies of all Acts of Parliament since 1497 and important manuscripts such as the original Bill of Rights and the death warrant of King Charles I . At the top of the cast-iron pyramidal roof is a 22 m (72 ft) flagstaff, from which flies
13081-410: The tower to store its parliamentary records, building a house alongside it for the use of the parliamentary clerk, and extensive improvements followed in 1621. The tower continued as the Lords' records office through the 18th century and several renovations were carried out to improve its fire-proofing and comfort, creating the present appearance of the tower. It was one of only four buildings to survive
13208-594: The tower was closed. Around this time, the tower began to be called the Jewel Tower once again, partially in the incorrect belief that it had held the Crown Jewels during the medieval period. In 1866, the Standards of Weights, Measures, and Coinage Act was passed by Parliament, creating a department of the Board of Trade called the Standard Weights and Measures Department. This department was responsible for maintaining
13335-500: The tower was hit by an incendiary device dropped by German bombers in 1941. The resulting fire caused significant damage to the roof, destroying much of the original fabric. The tower was placed into the guardianship of the Ministry of Works in 1948. The ministry carried out extensive repairs, attempting to retain a mixture of the medieval and newer features in the building. They removed the old medieval elm and oak foundations and replaced them with concrete supports, and installed
13462-449: The tower were carried out in the post-war period. Investigations were carried out during the renovations throughout 1948 to 1956. Further work followed to the east of the tower between 1962 and 1964, uncovering the landing dock. Another project was carried out in 1994 and 1995, uncovering part of the original garden of the tower and the 16th-century adjoining timber house, and an architectural survey between 2009 and 2011 determined that one of
13589-554: The tower, and various Delftware drinking jars and an Iron Age sword are displayed inside, along with a set of historiated capitals , described by the historian Jeremy Ashbee as "important and rare examples of English Romanesque sculpture", originating from the Westminster Hall of the 1090s, and a set of weights and measures, on loan from the Science Museum . The Jewel Tower is a three-storey building of Kentish ragstone with
13716-476: The tower, passing by the former landing stage for boats from the Thames, 6 metres (20 ft) long and made from ashlar stone. The clearances of the post-war era mean that there are now few neighbouring buildings to the tower, and it is much more visible than in previous centuries. The ground floor of the tower is entered from the north, and is made up of two chambers, a larger room 7.5 by 4 metres (25 by 13 ft),
13843-421: The tower, used to store the documents, was renovated with brick vaulting , providing better fire protection than the original wooden ceiling, by Thomas Hicks at a cost of £6. The chamber was further protected by a new iron door. The parliamentary clerk continued to live alongside the tower, except during the interregnum of 1649 and 1660, when the House of Lords was temporarily abolished. The sewer feeding into
13970-446: The tower. The king, Henry VIII , did not return to Westminster and instead built a new palace at Whitehall, but he continued to use the tower, then called the "Tholde Juelhous" ("the old Jewel House") for storing his wider household effects, including expensive cloths, linens, royal chess sets and walking sticks, but these appear to have been removed from the tower after his death. The Jewel Tower diminished in importance; probably during
14097-507: The two houses of Parliament and various courts of law. The predecessor of Parliament, the Curia Regis , met in Westminster Hall when the king was in residence. The " Model Parliament ", considered the first Parliament of England, met at the palace in 1295; while medieval parliaments of England met in a variety of locations, the palace was frequently used and developed into the body's permanent home. The palace did not have dedicated chambers for
14224-414: The upper and lower halves of the tower were divided into two separate areas. The spiral staircase from the ground floor kitchen to the upper floors, holding the records, was removed, and a window on the first floor was turned into a doorway so that the upper floors could be accessed from the neighbouring house. A fire-resistant stone vaulted ceiling was installed in on the first floor, possibly also in 1753 at
14351-486: The weights and measures used in the country – in particular, the primary and secondary standards , the physical "master" weights and lengths that other measuring devices could be compared against. The house alongside the Jewel Tower was taken over by the new department in 1869, and the standards and testing equipment were installed in the tower itself, which was felt to be particularly suitable for making scientific measurements, because of its thick walls. The roof, which
14478-459: The wooden doors on the second floor was probably an original feature from 1365. In the 21st century the Jewel Tower is managed by English Heritage as a tourist attraction, and protected under UK law as a scheduled monument and a Grade I Listed Building . In 1987 the Jewel Tower and the surrounding site of Westminster Palace were declared a World Heritage Site , the UN noting that the tower formed one of
14605-517: The years, including the parliamentary legal offices, a stable, a row of houses and the Prime Minister 's chauffeur's house, were demolished, and a new garden, College Green , was laid out beside the tower, on top of an underground parking lot. The medieval moat was re-excavated in 1956, and filled with water between 1963 and the 1990s, when its poor water quality led to its being drained and lined with gravel. Several archaeological investigations into
14732-402: Was First Commissioner of Works in the 1870s. The shortest of the palace's three principal towers (at 91 metres (299 ft) ), the octagonal Central Tower stands over the middle of the building, immediately above the Central Lobby. It was added to the plans on the insistence of Dr. David Boswell Reid , who was in charge of the ventilation of the new Houses of Parliament: his plan called for
14859-454: Was blamed for this and, when he later choked to death while eating a fish from a pond in the palace, the monks argued that this was divine justice for his role in the affair. The tower was linked to the external walls of the palace, and further secured by its moat, which was connected to the River Thames by a 45-metre (148 ft) channel. The top of its walls were crenelated, and in order to prevent potential intruders there were no windows on
14986-784: Was built within the Palace of Westminster between 1365 and 1366, on the instructions of King Edward III , to hold his personal treasure. Edward had broadly three types of treasure: his ceremonial regalia , which was usually kept at the Tower of London or held by the Abbot of Westminster ; the jewellery and plate belonging to the Crown , which was kept by the Royal Treasurer at Westminster Abbey ; and his personal collection of jewels and plate. English monarchs during this period used their personal jewels and plate as
15113-443: Was cheaper, and "could be supplied in blocks up to four feet thick and lent itself to elaborate carving". Barry's new Palace of Westminster was rebuilt using the sandy-coloured Anston limestone. However the stone soon began to decay owing to pollution and the poor quality of some of the stone used. Although such defects were clear as early as 1849, nothing was done for the remainder of the 19th century even after much studying. During
15240-455: Was in poor condition, was repaired. The ground floor was used as a weighing room and for storing glass fluid measures, the first floor held the standards of length, and the second floor was used as a museum to display old historical equipment. During the coming decades, however, the suitability of the tower for the work of the department came into question. The condition of the roof remained problematic, and steel girders had to be added to support
15367-508: Was likely also a mason and is believed to have taught the trade to Henry. At the Palace of Westminster, Yevele was responsible for refacing Westminster Hall . He was responsible for the Bloody Tower at the Tower of London . The most significant of Yevele's remaining works are the naves of Westminster Abbey (1362) and Canterbury Cathedral (1377–1400), the latter completed in an early Perpendicular Gothic style. Yevele died in 1400 and
15494-484: Was not finished until a decade afterwards. During the Second World War the palace was hit by bombs on fourteen separate occasions. A bomb that fell on 26 September 1940 lifted the statue of Richard the Lionheart from its pedestal and bent its sword, an image that was used as a symbol of the strength of democracy, "which would bend but not break under attack". The worst raid took place in the night of 10–11 May 1941, when
15621-463: Was positioned away from the prevailing wind, survived, along with its store of records from the House of Lords. Westminster was rebuilt, and in 1864 substantial changes were made at the tower: the Parliamentary records in the tower were moved to a fire-proof storage facility at the new Victoria Tower ; 6–7 Old Palace Yard ceased to be used by the clerk as a house, and the kitchen in the ground floor of
15748-437: Was rebuilt in a simplified style after the war, being completed in 1950. As the need for office space in the palace increased, Parliament acquired office space in the nearby Norman Shaw Building in 1975 and in the custom-built Portcullis House , completed in 2000. This increase has enabled all Members of Parliament (MP) to have their own office facilities. The palace was designated a Grade I listed building in 1970 and
15875-481: Was redesigned several times, and its height increased progressively; upon its completion in 1858 it was the tallest secular building in the world. At base of the tower is the Sovereign's Entrance, used by the monarch whenever entering the palace to open Parliament or for other state occasions. The 15 m (49 ft) high archway is richly decorated with sculptures, including statues of Saints George , Andrew and Patrick , and Queen Victoria . The main body of
16002-527: Was renamed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II . The Clock Tower was designed by Augustus Pugin and built after his death. Charles Barry asked Pugin to design the clock tower because Pugin had previously helped Barry design the palace. The tower houses the Great Clock, which uses the original mechanism built by Edward John Dent to designs by amateur horologist Edmund Beckett Denison . It
16129-463: Was the principal residence of the English monarchs in the late Medieval period. In 1512, during the early reign of Henry VIII , a fire destroyed the royal apartments of the palace. In 1534 Henry moved to the neighbouring Palace of Whitehall , formerly York Place , which he had seized from Cardinal Thomas Wolsey . Although Westminster remained a royal palace, from this point on its primary occupants were
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