Houses of Parliament

The Victoria Tower was purpose-built for keeping records after the great fire of 1834 destroyed the Palace of Westminster and almost all the House of Commons records.  The House of Lords records survived because they were then held in the Jewel Tower, which was remote from the main building, and can still be seen across the road from the Victoria Tower.  Charles Barry's winning design for the new Palace featured a tower over the Royal entrance every storey of which included record rooms.  When the wrought iron flagstaff was put into position in 1855 the Tower was proudly claimed to be the largest and highest square tower in the world, 323 feet high to the base of the flagstaff and a further 72 feet to the top of the Crown at its summit.
The Clock Tower is the famous tower of the Houses of Parliament and contains the bell Big Ben. The minute hands of the great clock are made of copper and the hour hands are made of gunmetal. The numerals are about half a metre high and there are 312 panes of glass in each of the four faces. The bell was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1858, and is said to be named after Benjamin Hall, who was the Commissioner of Works at the time. The bell strikes the note E. The chimes of the bell are famous around the world, and it is the bell of Big Ben that is broadcast on New Year's Eve.
Jewel Tower. Edward III had the Jewel Tower built c.1365 to house his personal treasures, with a moat dug around it for extra protection. It is virtually unaltered today, and is one of only two complete buildings remaining from the medieval Palace of Westminster. Administrated by English Heritage, the Jewel Tower now houses the exhibition Parliament Past and Present.
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street