Tourists on Westminster bridge, with Houses of Parliament in background.
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames[note 1] in the heart of the London borough of the City of Westminster, close to the historic Westminster Abbey and the government buildings of Whitehall and Downing Street. 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 Westminster system of government has taken its name after it. Its Clock Tower, in particular, which has become known as "Big Ben" after its main bell, is an iconic landmark of London and the United Kingdom in general, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city and an emblem of parliamentary democracy.
Size: 4256px × 2831px
Location: Westminster, London, England,
Photo credit: © Derek Adams / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ben, big, bridge, child, commons, england, government, houses, london, lords, man, palace, parliament, river, thames, tourist, tourists, uk, westminster, woman
