The Palace of Westminster

Also known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace of Westminster is the official meeting place for the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative bodies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Located along the banks of the River Thames, the Palace of Westminster was designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The palace has three main towers: the Victoria Tower, the Central Tower and the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben after the largest of the tower's five bells. As the centre of political life in the UK, the term 'Westminster' has become a metonym for the British government as a whole.