Question of the week: Tell us about one of your favourite London buildings "When you look at the Houses of Parliament what you see is a Victorian reconstruction of the medieval Palace of Westminster, which burned down in 1834. There are only two bits of the medieval palace left standing, and the Jewel Tower is one of them (the other is Westminster Hall) and the only one regularly open to the public.
It looks a little bit out of place, standing in its own bit of lawn, but when it was built in 1365 to house Edward III's treasures, it was in a secure position within the moated castle. (You can still see traces of the old moat around the outside!) Inside there is an exhibition about the history of the building, as well as the history of Parliament. And there's an Anglo-Saxon sword on display as well (which pre-dates the tower by at least 300 years)."
- Kris
NB - Westminster Hall is open to the public this coming Sunday for London Open House weekend.
* Photo by khyronsdf, used under Creative Commons.
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