Possibly London's most famous landmark, Big Ben is the clock tower to the Houses of Parliament. The nickname "Big Ben" was originally given to the 13 ton "Great Bell of Westminster", but the term also came to include the clock and St Stephen's Tower. The original Palace of Westminster was constructed in the eleventh century at the command of Edward the Confessor. The Palace consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two-combined making up the British Parliament. The Palace as it stands today is quite different from the original; the spectacular Gothic architecture was designed by Charles Barry to blend in with Westminster Abbey.

  Westminster

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