The Palace of Westminster - Parliament of England

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The Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Palace lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the City of Westminster, close to the government buildings of Whitehall.

It contains around 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 5 kilometres (3 mi) of corridors. The palace includes Westminster Hall, used today for major public ceremonial events such as lyings in state, and the Jewel Tower.

The Palace of Westminster was the monarch's principal residence in the late Medieval period. The predecessor of Parliament, the Curia Regis (Royal Council), met in Westminster Hall (although it followed the King when he moved to other palaces). The Model Parliament, the first official Parliament of England, met in the Palace in 1295; almost all subsequent Parliaments have met there.

The Jewel Tower was built approximately in 1365 to house the treasures of King Edward III.

Westminster remained the monarch's chief London residence until a fire destroyed part of the complex in 1512. In 1530, King Henry VIII acquired York Palace from Thomas Cardinal Wolsey. Renaming it the Palace of Whitehall, Henry used it as his principal residence. Although Westminster officially remained a royal palace, it was used by the two Houses of Parliament and as a law court.

Because it was originally a royal residence, the Palace included no purpose-built chambers for the two Houses. Important state ceremonies were held in the Painted Chamber. The House of Lords originally met in the Queen's Chamber, a modest Medieval hall at the south end of the complex. In later years the Upper House met in the larger White Chamber, which had formerly housed the Court of Requests; the expansion of the Peerage by King George III during the 18th century necessitated the move as the original chamber could not accommodate the increased number of peers.

The House of Commons, which did not have a chamber of its own, sometimes held its debates in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. The Commons acquired a permanent home at the Palace in the form of St Stephen's Chapel during the reign of Edward VI. The Chantries Act 1547 (passed as a part of the Protestant Reformation) dissolved the religious order of the Canons of St Stephen's, among other institutions; thus, the building became available for the Commons' use. Alterations were made to St Stephen's Chapel for the convenience of the Lower House. Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to carry out major work on the chapel in the late 17th century. During these works the chapel's clerestory was removed and its Gothic interiors concealed behind oak panelling.  

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Westminster Hall



Westminster Hall, the oldest existing part of the Palace of Westminster, was erected in 1097, at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The roof was probably originally supported by pillars, giving three aisles, but during the reign of King Richard II, this was replaced by a hammerbeam roof by the royal carpenter Hugh Herland, "the greatest creation of medieval timber architecture", which allowed the original three aisles to be replaced with a single huge open space, with a dais at the end. Richard's architect Henry Yevele left the original dimensions, refacing the walls, with fifteen life-size statues of kings placed in niches. The rebuilding had been begun by Henry III in 1245, but had by Richard's time been dormant for over a century.

The hall has served numerous functions. It was primarily used for judicial purposes, housing three of the most important courts in the land: the Court of King's Bench, the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of Chancery. In addition to regular courts, Westminster Hall also housed important trials, including impeachment trials and the state trials of King Charles I at the end of the English Civil War, Sir William Wallace, Sir Thomas More, John Cardinal Fisher, Guy Fawkes, the Earl of Strafford, the rebel Scottish Lords of the 1715 and 1745 uprisings, and Warren Hastings.

Westminster Hall has also served ceremonial functions. From the twelfth century, coronation banquets honouring new monarchs were held here. The Hall has been used for lyings-in-state during state and ceremonial funerals.  

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The House of Lords



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 colored red. The upper part of the Chamber is decorated by stained glass windows and by six allegorical frescoes representing religion, chivalry and law.

At 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. In front of the Throne is the Woolsack, a backless and armless red cushion stuffed with wool, representing the historical importance of the wool trade. The Woolsack is used by the officer presiding over the House (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 are the Judges' Woolsack, a larger red cushion occupied by the Law Lords during the State Opening, and the Table of the House, at which the clerks sit.

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 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 the Woolsack; they are accordingly known as cross-benchers.

The Lords Chamber is the site of important ceremonies, the most important of which is the State Opening of Parliament, which occurs at the beginning of each annual parliamentary session. The Sovereign, seated on the Throne, delivers the Speech from the Throne, outlining the Government's legislative agenda for the forthcoming parliamentary session. The Commons do not enter the Lords' debating floor; instead, they watch the proceedings from beyond the Bar of the House, just inside the door. A similar ceremony is held at the end of a parliamentary session; the Sovereign, however, does not normally attend, and is instead represented by a group of Lords Commissioners.

The House of Commons



The Chamber of the House of Commons is at the northern end of the Palace of Westminster; it measures 14 by 20.7 metres (46 by 68 ft) and is far more austere than the Lords Chamber. The benches, as well as other furnishings in the Commons side of the Palace, are colored green.

At the north end of the Chamber is the Speaker's Chair. In front of the Speaker's Chair is the Table of the House, at which the clerks sit, and on which is placed the Commons' ceremonial mace. There are green benches on either side of the House; members of the Government party occupy benches on the Speaker's right, while those of the Opposition occupy benches on the Speaker's left. There are no cross-benches as in the House of Lords. The Chamber is relatively small and in major debates MPs stand at either end of the House.

By tradition, the British Sovereign does not enter the Chamber of the House of Commons. The last monarch to do so was King Charles I, in 1642. The King sought to arrest five Members of Parliament on charges of high treason, but when he asked the Speaker, William Lenthall, if he had any knowledge of the whereabouts of these individuals, Lenthall famously replied: "May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here."

The two red lines on the floor of the House of Commons are 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) apart, which, by (probably apocryphal) tradition, is intended to be just over two sword-lengths. Protocol dictates that MPs may not cross these lines when speaking. Historically, this was to prevent disputes in the House from devolving into duels. If a Member of Parliament steps over this line while giving a speech he or she will be lambasted by opposition Members.  

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The Court of Common Pleas



The Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, was created to relieve pressure on the Court of King's Bench. The Court of Common Pleas stands as the third highest common law court. It serves as a place of innovation, with the judges presiding over influential legal cases and the court itself introducing procedural changes to other courts. It is, however, currently experiencing an innovative drought.

Court of the King's Bench



The Court of King's Bench is one of the senior courts of common law in England, and the most powerful of them. In its early days the King's Bench would sit wherever the King was, but by Magna Carta in 1215, it was required to be fixed in one place. It has sat thereafter in Westminster Hall..

The Court is formally known as The Court of the King Before the King Himself, although after the medieval period the sovereign did not in practice sit in the Court. (King James I did seek to sit on hearings in the King's Bench but it was a brief experiment.)

The president of the Court was the Lord Chief Justice.

The King's Bench is the principal court of criminal jurisdiction, though in practice the criminal jurisdiction is exercised at the assizes, leaving the court in Westminster Hall to deal with civil matters.

In civil matters the King's Bench initially had a limited number of causes of action in tort, which included cases of trespass and assault. However by a series of legal fictions (in particular the "Bill of Middlesex" procedure), the King's Bench justices widened their own jurisdiction until they could hear any civil claim. This made the King's Bench the most powerful of the courts.

An important jurisdiction of the King's Bench is the restraint of unlawful action by public authority. In this the King's Bench issues prerogative writs, by which it restrains or compels other jurisdictions and authorities, including the local justices and boroughs. From the King's Bench also issues the writ of habeas corpus. Lord Mansfield as Lord Chief Justice was instrumental in ending slavery in England by a 1772 judgement in King's Bench.

Court of Exchequer



The Court of Exchequer is a distinct part of the court system with responsibility for administration of government revenue and judicial matters relating to customs and excise, revenue, stamp duty and probate.