Take an exhilarating step back in time with a guided tour of London’s iconic Westminster Palace and experience all the intriguing and political history that it has to offer.

For over 900 years The Houses of Parliament (AKA the Palace of Westminster) has been the centre of power throughout Britain.  William II completed construction of the Palace of Westminster started in 1097and in 1099; at the time of its completion it was the largest hall in all of England.

Its initial role was to be a royal only residence, but by 1512 a fire destroyed the private quarters of Henry VIII, after that Henry moved out and the lawyers and politicians moved in, it has been the hub for Britain’s political powers ever since.

The Palace of Westminster held numerous high profile treason trials between the 15th and 18th centuries. King Charles I being one of the most notable who in 1649 was tried and condemned as a traitor, tyrant, and murderer, despite the court having no real legal authority over him. In 1606 Guy Fawkes along with his co-conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot were tried, convicted, and executed.

The Palace has endured a myriad of bombings and other act of violence during it’s over 900 of years of existence. During the Blitz of World War 2 alone the Palace was hit more than 14 times. In 1812 former Prime Minister Spencer Percival was assassinated there, and in 1885 a Fenian bomb severely damaged the Palaces common chamber as well as seriously injuring three people.

You can explore further into the aforementioned as well as many other historical factoids related to the Palace whilst on your House of Parliament tour!