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Westminster has been the sight of council meetings and parliamentary gatherings since 1625. Today's Houses of Parliament, replacing earlier buildings destroyed by fire in 1834, are built in the Victorian Gothic design. These buildings are steeped in political history and Visitors can gain entry via the Strangers' Gallery of each House, (if only to count the number of snoozing MP's and peers!) Possibly London's most famous landmark is the clock tower on the north end of the Palace of Westminster, which has come to be known as Big Ben. The bell was named after a popular heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt. Big Ben does not refer to the whole clock tower, but to the huge thirteenth bell, which strikes the hour. The tower itself stands at 97.5 meters high and although not the tallest, its stature seems to dwarf the other buildings at the parliament, especially when lit up a t night.
Underground: Bakerloo/Jubilee/Northern
Bus Routes: 3, 11, 12, 24, 53, 88, 109, 159, 211
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London guide