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| Top Ten Essential Architecture | top ten London Government buildings | |||||||||||||
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| For a more complete list, see the main list | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Westminster Palace | |||||||||||||
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The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) meet to conduct their business. The Palace lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster, close by other government buildings in Whitehall. The oldest part of the Palace still in existence, Westminster Hall, dates from 1097. The palace originally served as a royal residence but no monarch has lived in it since the 16th century. Most of the present structure dates from the 19th century, when the Palace was rebuilt after it was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1834. The architect responsible for rebuilding the Palace was Sir Charles Barry with Augustus Welby Pugin. The building is an example of Gothic revival. One of the Palace's most famous features is the clock tower, a tourist attraction that houses the famous bell Big Ben. The latter name is often used, erroneously, for the clock itself, which is actually part of St Stephen's Tower. |
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| 2 | Tower of London | |||||||||||||
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The White Tower, the square building with turrets on each corner that gave it its name, is actually in the middle of a complex of several buildings along the River Thames in London, which have served as fortresses, armories, treasuries, zoos/menageries, mints, palaces, places of execution, public records offices, observatories, shelters, and prisons (particularly for upper class prisoners). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" meaning "imprisoned". One widely known example was that Elizabeth I was imprisoned for a time in the Tower during her sister Mary's reign. |
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| 3 | Hampton Court | |||||||||||||
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Hampton Court Palace is a former royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south west London, United Kingdom. The palace is located 11.7 miles (18.9 km) south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames. It is currently open to the public as a major tourist attraction. The palace's Home Park is the site of the annual Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. |
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| 4 | Windsor Castle | |||||||||||||
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A thousand year old fortress transformed to a royal palace. This well known silhouette of a seemingly medieval castle was not created, however, until the 1820s by Jeffry Wyatville Windsor Castle, at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, it is the oldest in continuous occupation. |
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| 5 | Westminster Hall | |||||||||||||
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Westminster Hall is the oldest remaining part of the old palace, with its walls being erected in 1097 in the reign of William Rufus. The roof was originally supported by two rows of pillars, but by 1399 Richard II wanted to make the Hall more impressive by building an unsupported roof. This great challenge was met by carpenter Hugh Herland and architect Henry Yevele. They solved the problem by building huge hammer shaped oak beams and strengthening the walls. The hammerbeam roof is still an impressive sight today. Westminster Hall is now used for major public ceremonies. |
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| 6 | Admiralty Arch | |||||||||||||
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Admiralty Arch is a large office building in London which incorporates an archway providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, which extends to the southwest, and Trafalgar Square to the northeast. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb. It adjoins the Old Admiralty Building, hence the name. The building was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria, although he did not live to see its completion. |
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| 7 | London City Hall | |||||||||||||
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City Hall in London is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London. It stands on the south bank of the River Thames, in the More London development by Tower Bridge. Designed by Norman Foster it opened in July 2002. The building has an unusual bulbous shape, intended to reduce the building's surface area and thus improve energy efficiency. It has been compared variously to Darth Vader's helmet, a misshapen egg, a woodlouse or a motorcycle helmet. London Mayor Ken Livingstone referred to it as a "glass testicle". Its designers reportedly saw the building as a giant sphere hanging over the Thames, but opted for a more conventionally rooted building instead. The building has no front or back on conventional terms but derives its shape from a modified sphere. |
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| 8 | The Old Bailey | |||||||||||||
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The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is a building in London that houses the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. Courts within the building are open to the public although there may be some restrictions depending upon the nature of the cases being held. The building is a large grey stone edifice in the Victorian Gothic style and was designed by George Edmund Street, a solicitor turned architect, and built in the 1870s. The Royal Courts of Justice was opened by Queen Victoria in December 1882 and became the permanent home of the Supreme Court. It is on The Strand, in the City of Westminster, near the border with the City of London and the London Borough of Camden. It is surrounded by the four Inns of Court. |
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| 9 | County Hall | |||||||||||||
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County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, that was the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council (GLC). Today County Hall is the site of businesses and attractions, including Saatchi Gallery, Dalí Universe and the London Aquarium, as well as two hotels and several restaurants. Other parts of the building have been converted into flats. The London Eye is nearby. The building is on the bank of the River Thames, just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west towards the City of Westminster. The nearest tube stations are Waterloo and Westminster. |
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| 10 | Somerset House | |||||||||||||
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Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It was extended by classical Victorian wings to north and south. A building of the same name was first built on the site more than two centuries earlier. |
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