Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster had its beginnings in royal residences built in the area of Westminster in the 11th Century. In the 13th Century, Parliament began meeting in the Palace, but it still functioned as the London residence for the King. In the 16th Century a fire destroyed a major portion of Westminster Palace and this encouraged King Henry VIII to move his residence to the nearby Whitehall Palace. Parliament has since met regularly at Westminster Palace for all of these centuries. Regrettably in the 1830s a devastating fire destroyed much of the Palace and much of it, especially the interiors, had to be rebuilt. Parliament uses this rebuilt Palace today. To serve in Parliament, one needs to stand for election. Elections are held every four months and candidates for Parliament are chosen by the various political parties. Please contact one of the leaders of our political parties for more information on how to stand for office.