Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminister in 1996

The Palace of Westminster is meeting place for the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament in London. It it situated on the banks of the River Thames. Westminster Abbey is situated directly west of the palace.

History

On the night of November 14-15, 1996, Hudson, Lexington, Griff, Constance, and Staghart kept watch from the Victoria Tower to keep David Xanatos from breaking into Westminster Abbey and stealing the Stone of Destiny, while Macbeth and King Arthur kept watch on the ground below. Here the gargoyles were attacked by Coldsteel, Coyote 5.0, a Steel Clan robot, and an Iron Clan robot; Coldstone and Coldfire came to their aid, forcing Coldsteel and Coyote to retreat (the Steel and Iron Clan robots were destroyed in the battle). ("Rock & Roll", "Rock of Ages")

Appearances

• "M.I.A."
• "Rock & Roll"
• "Rock of Ages"

Real World Background

The oldest building at the Palace of Westminster is Westminster Hall, dating back to the reign of William II. The rest of the palace was built between 1840 and 1860, to replace the original that had been largely destroyed by a fire in 1834. Gothic in design, it later suffered extensive damage during the Battle of Britain in World War II. The House of Commons roof was not restored until 1950. Victoria Tower forms the entrance to the House of Lords, and the monarch traditionally uses this entrance when attending Parliament. A flag flies from the top of the tower when Parliament is in session. The bell known as Big Ben resides in Elizabeth Tower. Both towers was renamed after Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, in 1897 and 2012 respectively, to each commemorate their Diamond Jubilee anniversary on the throne.

See Also

• Palace of Westminster at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia