This was London’s first World Heritage site and in my mind its finest, it really should not be be missed.

The original proposal was for just the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) but it was sent back and asked to include the Abbey to show the Architectural influence, the Abbey being Gothic and the Palace Neo-Gothic.

I truly love the Houses of Parliament; I may be a little biased as I study Politics, however I can’t think of a single building in Europe I find more impressive than this. The façade is perhaps the high point of Neo-Gothic architecture, built after a fire in 1834, it features perhaps the most iconic symbol of Britain; Big Ben (this is actually the name of the bell housed inside the Clock Tower but everyone calls the tower Big Ben and to be fair so do I) The current Palace does however contain part of the original structure in Westminster Hall which was built in 1097 the roof of which is viewed as being the best surviving example of medieval English carpentry.

If you are lucky enough to get inside then the level of detail is awesome and many areas are opulent, these are the details that normally bore me rigid in Palaces and Stately Homes as they were mostly made for one particularly rich person or family, however in the houses of parliament these are made to help govern the country, and so I feel a real pride in seeing them.

One thing that really struck me was how small the debating chambers are, especially the House of Commons, it is easy to see why this atmosphere creates the heated and charged debates that dominate British Politics! Also the decorations and etiquette teach you a lot about the development of democracy in Britain, for one the door into the House of Common’s has a large dent in it where the Monarch’s representative has the door slammed in their face and they have to knock/pound on it with a large Black Rod, this is because the monarch is forbidden to enter the chamber! Also you are not aloud to sit on the benches in the House of Commons, as they are strictly reserved for those that have been elected!

All of this combines to give a fantastic history of democracy in Britain and I feel, being English myself, this is a much greater reflection of our values and history than can be gained by looking at the Stately Homes and Royal Palaces that are normally pointed to as being more important, so this is the site I would hope best reflects British history and culture at the highest level.

So there is my treatise on that, but the site also includes the Abbey, which is justifiably one of the most visited churches in Christendom and the vaulting is immaculate, but it has been a long time since I have visited so I think a visit soon will be on the cards.

If you want to visit the houses of Parliament then it can be tough, the only time to do this if you are not a UK citizen is when it is in recess – normally August and September, otherwise it can be very hard to get in, even for citizens of the UK who have to arrange a tour via their MP.

However the site is right in the centre of London and should not be missed by anyone who visits even if you do just get to see the outside!