TheHousesofParliamenthavehadalongandviolenthistory.GuyFawkestriedtoblowthemup，Hitlerdestroyedlargepartsofthem，andtheywereburnttothegroundin1834becausesomeonestuffedtoomanygovernmentformsintothestovethatheatedthem.SothebuildingyouseetodaybythefiverThamesisn’treallyveryold.Onlyafewpartsofitdatebackmuchmorethanahundredyears.Butitstillremains，withStPaul’SCathedralandBuckinghamPalace，oneofthemostfamousbuild—ingsinLondonand，indeed，theworld.ThepropernamefortheHousesofParliamentisthePalaceofWest—minsterand，infact，therehasbeenaroyalpalaceonthatsiteeversince,thedaysofEdwardtheConfessor.ThelastkingactuallytolivetherewasHenryⅧwholeftthePalaceofWestminsterafterabadfirein1529.TheHousesofParliamentarestillaroyalpalaceandwerecontrolledbytheLordGreatChamberlainhimselfuntil1965.Therearerecordsofakeeperofthepalacesince1150，andhewaspaid7pennyadayforthejobfromthatdayuntil1884，whenthepositionwasabolished.Andifyouthinkthatisfunny，rememberthateventodayalltheM.P.S’cloakroompegshavealittleloopofredtapehangingfromthem—t0holdtheirswords!
TheoldestpartoftheHousesofParliamentisWestminsterHall.PartsofthiswerebuiltbyWilliamRufuswhosucceededWilliamtheConqueror.ButmostofitwasbuiltbyafamousarchitectcalledHenryYevelebe—wascalledtheNewHalltostopitbeingconfusedwiththeOldHallbuiltbyEdwardtheConfessor.FromthatdaytothisthecourtyardinfrontofitWestminsterHallwasthesceneofmanyfamoustrialsandSirThomasMore，CharlesI，andGuyFawkeswerealltriedandcondemnedtallyburntdown.OnlyWestminsterHallandafewroomsandcorridorswereleft.Therestwasaheapofsmoulderingruins.Parliamenthadsatatthepalacesince1547butnowtheyhadtomakedowithsomesmallandunsatisfactoryroomsthathadbeenpatchedup.AfterfivemonthsofthisitisnotsurprisingthatthemembersdecidedtorebuildtheHousesofParlia—mentproperly.TheysoondecidedthatthedesignsofMrCharlesBarrywerethebestandthefoundationstonewaslaidbyhiswifein1840.IttookjusttenyearstobuildthenewpalaceandParliamentre——assembledThepalaceisbuiltonagreatbedofconcretetenfeetthickandhastheirwayaboutanditisunlikelythatanymanhaseverbeenevery—TheHousesofParliamentaresobigthatitwasalmostimpossiblefortheGermanbombersduringthe1939—1945wartomissthem.Theywere，infact，hitbybombson14separateoccasions，althoughonlyafewcausedanyrealdamage.Theworstofallwason10thMay1941whentheywerehitbytwelvebombs.ThebombscausedadisastrousfirewhieburntouttheChamberwheretheM.P.Sactuallysitanddestroyedanumberofroomsandcorridors.Rebuildingbegantheweekthewarended.AlthoughthepartsthatwerebombedwererebuiltverymuchasBarryhadfirstdesignedthem，theywerebroughtuptodateinsideandmademuchmoreroomyandcomfortable.ButonearchwasleftwiththemarksofthebombsplintersstillonittoremindfutureM.P.SoftheordealthattheHousesofParliamenthadgonethrough.TheonepartoftheHousesofParliamentthatpeopleallovertheworldimmediatelyrecognizeisBigBen.ButnearlyeverybodygetsitslightlywrongbecauseBigBenisreallythenameofthebigbellwhichstrikesthehours.ThetalltowerwhichholdstheclockiscorrectlycalledtheClockTower.Thedials—a11fourofthem—ofthisenormousclockare23feetacrossanditsworksweighfivetons.Thebigbellwhichstrikesthedeephournotesweighs13.5tons.Inspiteofitshugesize，BigBenisaverygoodtimekeeperandalmostnevergetsmorethanasecondofftime.InthetowertherearesomecellsintowhichM.P.Swhomisbehavethemselvesareput，althoughithasn’tbeenusedforthispurposesince1880.AndattheverytopofthetoweryoucanseealittlelightburningwhentheHouseisactuallysitting.TheHousesofParliamentarethehomeoftheHouseofCommonsandtheHouseofLords.TheHouseofCommonsismadeupofMembersofParliamentwhoareelectedbythepeopleofGreatBritaintoruntheThereare63。oftllem，alm。ughitisVeryseld。mthattheVallthereatonce.TheHouseofLordsismadeupof“peersoftherealm”，whoareti—tledlords，bishops，andveryseniorjudges.MostoftheLordsare“heredi—tary”whichme