This tower situated at the corner of the Houses of Parliament stands over the Sovereign's Entrance to the Palace with faces south and west onto Black Rod's Garden and Old Palace Yard. This is very close to the position of the entrance to the King's Staircase that existed in the old Palace before that was substantially destroyed by fire in 1834. This tower provides an aesthetic balance to the Westminster Clock Tower (generally known as 'Big Ben') at the opposite end of the Palace in the design of Sir Charles Barry. He won a competition for the design of the Palace that we now see and then had the determination, diplomatic skills and stamina to see it largely completed. The tower was originally titled 'The King's Tower' because the fire and the competition in 1835 happened in the reign (1830 to 1837) of William IV (1765-1837). However, the entrance beneath was first in use for the State Opening of Parliament by Queen Victoria (1819-1901) in the fifteenth year of her reign, shortly after which Barry was knighted. The tower is 323ft to the base of the flagstaff that carries the Union Jack to indicate that a House is sitting or the Royal Standard when the monarch visits. Constructing this considerable edifice on what was once the sandy shore of an islet in the river presented a significant engineering challenge. A major reason for Barry's success in achieving his design with a building which has survived well is that he incorporated a cast-iron framework. It is that rather than the visible stonework that provides the main strength supporting the structure. Apart from satisfying aesthetic considerations Barry included this tower to provide a proper storage space for parliamentary records. They had previously been somewhat randomly dispersed about the old Palace, including the medieval (1365) Jewel Tower on the opposite side of Old Palace Yard and, for some time, the Chapter House in the Abbey. This facility is one that was significantly enhanced in modern times with a complete reconstruction between 1948 and 1963 of the space within the tower to provide twelve floors of air-conditioned document storage.

O/S Co-ords:3022.7938
Source(s):

Westminster Palace and Parliament

This Chamber, as is that for the Commons, is on the central axis of the Houses of Parliament, which is a popular synonym for the present Palace of Westminster. The State Officers' Court is to its west and the Peers' Court to its east. The processional chambers (Princes Chamber, Royal Gallery and Robing Room) through which the monarch progresses to this place, from the Sovereign's Entrance at the base of the Victoria Tower, for the State Opening of Parliament, separate their lordships from Black Rod's Garden at the southern end of the Palace. This is a considerably grander Chamber than is that of the Commons. It is also known as the Parliament Chamber because it is where the sovereign summons her Parliament which necessarily has the constituents of: the monarch, the lords (spiritual and temporal) and the commons, who stand at the bar of the house. Notable among their lordships are the Lords of Appeal and the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor is the chair of the House. His place is on a woolsack in front of the throne (the tradition of using a woolsack derives from the importance of wool to the country's economy in the 14th century). When Parliament is in session for its opening by the Queen, the Lords of Appeal are similarly seated on woolsacks in the centre of the chamber emphasising the judicial role of the House. A court in which Lords of Appeal sit in judgement is the final court of appeal for the Queen's subjects (excepting that as European citizens they can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights for cases where those rights are at issue). The Lord Chancellor is a very, very special official in the governance of the realm. As well as being an unbiased chair of this House of the legislature, he is in the executive as a senior cabinet officer, which may require him to leave the woolsack to make government statements; and he is the senior judicial officer in the kingdom responsible for the appointment of judges and the administration of the courts. (No woman has yet been appointed as either Chancellor or as a Lord of Appeal). The membership of this House is changing. At the end of the 20th century there were: a group of the hereditary lords, elected in 1999 by the considerable number who up to that time were entitled to sit in the house; life peers who had been appointed by various Prime Ministers since the enabling legislation of 1958; and, from the established Church of England by rights established at the time of Henry VIII's reformation, Canterbury, York, London, Winchester, Durham and the 21 other bishops who had been in office longest.
The present Palace replaced the old after that had been severely damaged by fire in October 1834. Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860) won a competition for the design of the new Palace that we now see and then had the determination, diplomatic skills and stamina to see it largely completed. He worked in collaboration with August Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-52) who had particular involvement with the decoration of the interior. This was one of their most considerable achievements. It is 80ft long and 45ft wide. One of the many differences to the Commons is that there are cross benches allowing for the seating of a distinct group of the members of this house who are not in regular, determined confrontation with other members. One of his sons wrote his biography in which he tells of Sir Charles intent that this would be 'not a mere place of business nor even a mere House of Lords - but as a Chamber in which a Sovereign, surrounded by the court, summoned the three estates of the realm.' When their lordships could tear themselves away from their temporary accommodation since the 1834 fire, in Edward the Confessor's Painted Chamber (whilst the Commons took over the hall from the old palace that the Lords had used since only 1801), they adapted to and enjoyed this place. The praises for it then could be written in a way that matched the style of Barry and Pugin's creation. Thus: 'The size and loftiness of the apartment, its finely proportioned windows, with the gilded and canopied niches between them; the throne glowing with golden colours; the richly carved panelling that lines the walls, with its gilded and emblazoned cove, and the balcony of brass rising from the canopy; the roof most elaborately painted; its massive beams and sculptured ornaments and pendants richly gilded; all unite in forming a scene of royal magnificence as brilliant as it is unequalled.' The silhouette of Barry's buildings as seen from the Thames is possibly the most recognisable icon of the United Kingdom. Barry and Pugin determinedly put this splendid Chamber at its heart.

O/S Co-ords:3026.7940
Source(s):

Westminster Palace and Parliament

The History of the Ancient Palace and Late Houses of Parliament at Westminster