24 Facts About Westminster Hall

Palace of Westminster Hall serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Palace is one of the centres of political life in the United Kingdom; "Westminster Hall" has become a metonym for the UK Parliament and the British Government, and the Westminster Hall system of government commemorates the name of the palace.

The Palace of Westminster Hall has been a Grade I listed building since 1970 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

Site of the Palace of Westminster Hall was strategically important during the Middle Ages, as it was located on the banks of the River Thames.

Palace of Westminster Hall functioned as the English monarchs' principal residence in the late Medieval period.

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Westminster Hall was saved thanks to fire-fighting efforts and a change in the direction of the wind.

Proposals to move to Charing Cross or St James's Park had a similar fate; the allure of tradition and the historical and political associations of Westminster Hall proved too strong for relocation, despite the deficiencies of that site.

Palace of Westminster Hall, which is a Grade 1 listed building, is in urgent need of extensive restoration to its fabric.

In January 2018, the House of Commons voted for both houses to vacate the Palace of Westminster Hall to allow for a complete refurbishment of the building which may take up to six years starting in 2025.

Sir Charles Barry's collaborative design for the Palace of Westminster Hall uses the Perpendicular Gothic style, which was popular during the 15th century and returned during the Gothic revival of the 19th century.

Westminster Hall, which was built in the 11th century and survived the fire of 1834, was incorporated in Barry's design.

Barry's New Palace of Westminster Hall was rebuilt using the sandy-coloured Anston limestone.

Originally named "The King's Tower" because the fire of 1834 which destroyed the old Palace of Westminster Hall occurred during the reign of King William IV, the tower was an integral part of Barry's original design, of which he intended it to be the most memorable element.

Originally known simply as the Clock Tower, it houses the Great Clock of Westminster Hall, built by Edward John Dent on designs by amateur horologist Edmund Beckett Denison.

The largest bell strikes the hours; officially called The Great Bell of Westminster Hall, it is generally referred to as Big Ben, a nickname of uncertain origins which, over time, has been colloquially applied to the whole tower.

Grandest entrance to the Palace of Westminster Hall is the Sovereign's Entrance beneath the Victoria Tower.

Chamber of the House of Commons is at the northern end of the Palace of Westminster Hall; it was opened in 1950 after the Victorian chamber had been destroyed in 1941 and re-built under the architect Giles Gilbert Scott.

In 1875, the courts were amalgamated into the High Court of Justice, which continued to have chambers adjacent to Westminster Hall until moved to the then new Royal Courts of Justice building in 1882.

The Westminster Hall has been used as a place for lying in state during state and ceremonial funerals.

Palace of Westminster Hall includes state apartments for the presiding officers of the two Houses.

Previous Palace of Westminster Hall was the site of a prime-ministerial assassination on 11 May 1812.

The blast opened a crater in the floor 1 metre in diameter, damaged the roof of the chapel and shattered all the windows in the Westminster Hall, including the stained-glass South Window at St Stephen's Porch.

In October 2009, at least forty Greenpeace activists climbed to the roof of Westminster Hall to call for the adoption of policies combating climate change.

Westminster Hall was detained and taken away by police and officials.