• Westminster Abbey
• seat of the English Government for over 1000 years
• Burial ground of English monarchs
• Site of monastery in middle ages
• Gothic architecture
• Edward the confessor built a church and palace here in 11^th century
• Westminster Abbey consecrated December 28, 1065
• Edward buried before high altar
• English coronation chair, 1300, first used by Edward I, and still used for coronation of monarchs
• King Harold - 1^st English king crowned in Abbey
• All English Monarchs since Harold, crowned in Abbey

Royal Chapel in Westminster Abby

Henry VII chapel – 16^th century, medieval banners of the knights grand cross of the order of the bath

Royal air force chapel – stained glass windows containing the emblem of every squadron who participated in the battle of Britain, 1940

Westminster Cathedral – Roman Catholic Church, 1890

Poets corner – graves of Tennyson, Chaucer, Dryden plus monuments to Milton, Keats, Wilde, Shakespeare and more.

Houses of Parliament

• Close to Westminster Abbey
• Gothic Structure, 1830
• Over 1000 rooms
• Union Jack flies in south end when Parliament is in session
• Big Ben, in north section of Parliament, chimes every hour
• Westminster Hall built 1099, scene of Sir Thomas More trial in 1534.
• Jewel Tower once housed the kings jewels, clothing and furs until Henry VIII, now houses an exhibition of the history of Parliament
• Whitehall – avenue that runs from Parliament to Trafalgar Square, location of the Commonwealth offices, the treasury, admiralty, ministry of defense, foreign offices.
• Whitehall Palace – built 1622 for James I.
• Westminster Hall

related subject: Medieval Castles in England